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jJi'^omTm 


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tI|F  Sjtbrarg  of 
J^rinretntt  SItrnlogtral  ^rmtttarg 


NIRVANA 


STORY  OF   BUDDHIST  PSYCHOLOGY 


BY 


/ 

PAUL  CARUS 


ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  KWASONG  SUZUKI 


LEARNEST  THOU  THAT  COMPOUND  THINGS  ARE  FLEETING, 
BRAHMAN,  THOU  SHALT  KNOW  THE  UNCREATE. 

DHAMMAPADA,  383. 


CHICAGO 
THE   OPEN  COURT  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

LONDON  AGENTS 
Kegan  Paul,  Trench,  Trubner  &  Co.,  Ltd. 

1902 


copyright  by 

The  Open  Court  Publishing  Co. 

1896. 


PREAMBLE/ 

WHEN  Buddha,  the  Blessed  One,  the 
Tathagata,  the  great  sage  of  the 
Sakya  tribe,  was  yet  walking  on  earth,  the 
news  thereof  spread  over  all  the  valley  of  the 
holy  Ganga,  and  every  man  greeted  his  friend 
joyfully  and  said:  "Hast  thou  heard  the  good 
tidings?  The  Enlightened  One,  the  Perfect 
One,  the  holy  teacher  of  gods  and  men,  has 
appeared  in  the  flesh  and  is  bodily  walking 
among  us!  I  have  seen  him  and  have  taken 
refuge  in  his  doctrine ;  go  thou  also  and  see 
him  in  his  glory.  His  countenance  is  beautiful 
like  the  rising  sun ;  he  is  tall  and  strong  like 
the  young  lion  that  has  left  his  den  ;  and  when 
the  Blessed  One  opens  his  mouth  to  preach, 
his  words  are  like  music,  and  all  those  who 
listen  to  his  sermons  believe  in  him.  The  kings 
of  Magadha,  of  Kosala,  and  of  many  other 
countries  have  heard  his  voice,  have  received 


2  NIRVANA. 

him,  and  confess  themselves  his  disciples. 
The  Blessed  Buddha  has  solved  the  riddle  of 
the  world  and  understands  the  problem  of  ex- 
istence. He  teaches  that  life  is  suffering,  but 
he  knows  both  the  origin  of  suffering  and  the 
escape  from  it,  and  assures  his  disciples  that 
Nirvana  can  be  obtained  b}^  walking  in  the 
noble  path  of  righteousness. 


) ) 


SUDATTA,  THE  BRAHMAN  YOUTH, 

AT  THE  PLOW. 


I 


N  the  fields  of  Kuduraghara,^  a  small  town- 


ship of  Avanti,  there  was  a  tall  Brahman 
yonth,  by  name  Sudatta,  plowing  the  grounds 
of  Snbhfiti,  who  was  called  by  the  people 
Maha-Subhuti  because  he  was  wealthy,  and 
whom  the  king  had  appointed  chief  of  the  vil- 
lage, to  be  a  judge  in  all  cases  of  law,  both  for 
the  decision  of  litigations  and  the  punishment 
of  crimes. 

Sudatta,  Mdiile  driving  the  draught-oxen, 
was  merrily  singing.  He  had  good  reason  to 
be  full  of  joy,  for  Maha-Subhuti,  the  chief, 
had  chosen  him  for  his  son-in-law,  and  when, 
according  to  an  old  custom,  the  youth  offered 
four  clods  to  the  maiden,  one  containing  seeds, 
one  ingredients  from  a  cow-stable,  one  dust 
from  an  altar,  and  one  earth  taken  from  a 
cemetery,  she  had  not  touched  the  clod  taken 


4  NIRVANA. 

from  tlie  cemeter}^,  wliicli  would  have  been  an 
evil  omen,  but  cbose  the  clod  containing  dust 
from  the  altar,  indicating  thereby  that  her  de- 
scendants would  be  distinguished  priests  and 
sacrificers.  This  was  in  Sudatta's  opinion  the 
noblest  and  most  desirable  fate.  Rich  harvests 
and  prosperity  in  the  raising  of  cattle  were 
great  blessings,  but  what  are  all  worldl}^  ]dos- 
sessions  in  comparison  to  the  bliss  of  religion  ! 
It  was  this  idea  that  made  Sudatta  sing,  and 
he  was  happy,  even  as  Indra,  the  strong  god, 
when  intoxicated  with  the  sweet  juices  of  soma. 
Suddenly  the  plow  struck  the  lair  of  a  hare, 
and  the  hare  jumped  up  to  flee,  but  turned 
anxiousl}'  back  to  look  after  her  brood.  Su- 
datta raised  the  stick  with  which  he  goaded 
his  oxen,  chased  the  hare  and  sought  to  kill 
her,  and  would  have  accomplished  his  purpose 
had  he  not  been  interrupted  b}^  the  voice  of  a 
man  passing  on  the  highroad,  who  called  out : 
"Stay,  friend!  What  wrong  has  that  poor 
creature  done?  "  Sudatta  stopped  in  his  pur- 
suit and  said  :  "  The  hare  has  done  no  wrong, 
except  that  she  lives  in  the  fields  of  ni}^  mas- 
ter." 


SUDATTA,  THE  BRAHMAN  YOUTH.      5 

The  stranger  was  a  man  of  serene  appear- 
ance, and  his  shaven  head  indicated  that  he 


was  a  samana,  a  monk,  who  had  gone  into 
homelessness  for  the  sake  of  salvation.  It  was 
Annrnddha,    a  disciple  of  the   Blessed   One. 


6  NIRVANA. 

Seeing  the  plowman's  noble  frankness  and  the 
beant}^  of  his  appearance,  he  sainted  him,  and, 
as  if  tr3dng  to  excuse  the  lad's  conduct,  the 
samana  suggested:  ''You  probabl}'  need  the 
hare's  flesh  for  meat." 

"O,  no!  "  replied  the  3'OUth,  "the  flesh  is 
not  fit  to  eat  in  the  breeding  season.  I  chased 
the  hare  for  sheer  sport.  Hares  are  quick,  and 
there  are  but  few  bo3^s  who  can  outrun  them." 

"My  dear  friend,"  continued  Anuruddha, 
"  imagine  3'ourself  a  parent  whom  some  fierce 
giant  deprived  of  his  children  and  whom  he 
hunted  to  death,  as  3^ou  intended  to  do  unto 
this  poor  hare !  " 

"I  would  fight  him,"  replied  Sudatta 
eagerl3^  "I  would  fight  him,  though  he 
might  kill  me." 

"You  are  a  brave  boy,"  rejoined  the  sa- 
mana, "but  suppose  the  giant  killed  all  3^our 
loved  ones,  3'our  father  and  mother,  your  wife 
and  children,  and  left  you  alive,  mocking  at 
your  misery." 

The  youth  stood  abashed.  He  had  never 
troubled  his  mind  with  such  thoughts.  He  had 
never  cared  for  creatures  weaker  than  himself, 


SUDATTA,  THE  BRAHMAN  YOUTH.      7 

and,  for  tlie  sake  of  mere  amusement,  would 
not  have  hesitated  to  inflict  pain  on  others. 
He  was  noble-minded  and  ambitious,  eager  to 
dare  and  to  do,  3^et  in  one  thing  he  was  want- 
ing. 

Anuruddha  thought  to  himself:  "This 
youth  is  of  a  noble  nature,  but  ill-advised. 
Should  he  remain  uninstructed,  his  uncon- 
trolled energy  would  do  great  harm.  Would 
that  he  understood  the  religion  of  the  Tatha- 
gata,  which  is  glorious  in  the  letter  and  glori- 
ous in  the  spirit,  true  in  its  foundations,  ra- 
diant as  sunlight  in  its  doctrines,  and  lofty  in 
its  practical  applications.  His  manliness  and 
courage,  which  would  otherwise  go  to  waste, 
might  be  turned  to  accomplish  great  things." 
And  he  addressed  Sudatta  saying :  ' '  Do  you 
not  know,  friend,  the  words  of  the  Tathagata 
on  behavior  toward  animals?  The  Blessed  One 
said : 

''  'Suffuse  the  world  with  friendliness. 
Let  creatures  all,  both  mild  and  stern, 
See  nothing  that  will  bode  them  harm. 
And  they  the  ways  of  peace  will  learn. '^ 


a 


This  hare,  like  all  other  ci'eatures  in  the 


8  NIRVANA. 

world,  is  possessed  of  sentiments  sncli  as  3^ou 
experience.  Slie  is,  as  niucli  as  3'ou,  subject 
to  pain,  old  age,  and  death.  You  were  not 
always  strong  and  llealtll3^  Years  ago  3^ou 
were  a  tiny  and  helpless  bab}^,  and  would  not 
have  lived  but  for  the  tender  care  of  your  lov- 
ing mother  and  the  protection  of  3^our  dear 
father.  You  think  of  the  present,  forgetting 
your  past  and  reckoning  not  on  3'our  future. 
As  you  no  longer  remember  3^our  suckling 
da3\s,  and  know  nothing  of  3'our  state  when 
3^ou  were  safel3^  sheltered  in  the  womb  of 
3^our  mother,  so  3'ou  do  not  remember  former 
existences  in  which  3'Our  character  developed 
in  a  gradual  evolution  to  its  present  condition . ' ' 

''Venerable  man,"  said  the  3^outh,  ''3'ou 
are  a  good  teacher  and  I  am  willing  to  learn." 

The  samana  continued:  ''Even  the  Tatha- 
gata,  our  Lord,  passed  through  all  the  stages 
of  life  in  regular  succession.  B3^  thoughts  of 
truth,  b3^  self-control,  and  deeds  of  kindness 
he  so  fashioned  his  heart  that  he  rose  in  the 
scale  of  beings  until  he  became  the  Enlight- 
ened One,  the  perfect  and  Hol3^  Buddha,  and 
attained  to  Nirvana,    ^ons  ago  he  started  on 


SUDATTA,  THE  BRAHMAN  YOUTH.      9 

his  eartlil}^  career  in  liumble  destitution  and 
weakness.  As  a  fisli  lie  swam  in  the  ocean, 
as  a  bird  he  lived  in  the  branches  of  trees  and 
according  to  his  deeds  he  passed  from  one  form 
of  existence  to  another.  It  is  said,  too,  that 
he  was  a  hare  eking  out  a  precarious  exist- 
ence in  the  fields.  Did  3^ou  never  hear  the 
tale?" 

"No,  never!"  replied  the  youth,  "tell  me 
the  stor}^." 


A 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  HARE/ 

NURUDDHA  began: 

"  So  I  have  heard :  Bodhisatta^  once 
lived  as  a  hare  in  the  fields  of  a  fertile  conntr}^, 
and  the  hares  waxed  so  numerous  that  food 
became  scarce  and  the3^  became  a  plague  to 
the  countr3^ 

''Then  the  thought  occurred  to  Bodhisatta 
while  he  was  a  hare :  the  times  are  hard  and 
the  people  suffer  for  want  of  rice  and  wheat. 
Thc}^  will  rise  in  anger  and  slay  all  the  hares 
that  live  in  this  country,  and  I,  too,  will  have 
to  die.  Can  I  not  do  a  noble  deed  lest  in 
this  present  incarnation  I  live  in  vain?  I 
am  a  weak  creature  and  my  life  is  useless 
unless  I  can  contribute  something,  be  it  ever 
so  little,  toward  the  advance  of  enlightenment, 
for  through  enlightenment  alone  the  bliss  of 
deathless  Nirvana  is  attained.  Let  me  seek 
Nirvana.     There  is  in  this  world  such  a  thing 


the:  story  of  the  hare.  11 

as  efficacy  of  virtue  ;  there  is  efficacy  of  truth. 
Buddhahood  is  possible,  and  those  who  have 
attained  Buddhahood  by  the  wisdom  of  earnest 
thought  and  good  deeds  will  show  to  others 
the  path  of  salvation.  The  Buddhas'  hearts 
are  full  of  truth  and  compassion,  of  mercy  and 
long  suffering.  Their  hearts  reach  out  in  equal 
love  to  all  beings  that  live.  I  will  imitate 
them,  and  I  will  become  more  and  more  like 
them.  The  truth  is  one  and  there  is  but  one 
eternal  and  true  faith.  It  behooves  me,  there- 
fore, in  my  meditation  on  the  Buddhas,  and 
relying  on  the  faith  that  is  in  me,  to  perform 
an  act  of  truth  that  will  advance  goodness  and 
alleviate  suffering. 

''Having  meditated  on  the  path  of  salva- 
tion, Bodhisatta  decided  to  warn  his  brother 
hares  of  the  coming  danger,  to  point  out  to 
them  the  instability  of  life,  and  to  teach  them 
the  blessings  of  frugality  and  abstinence. 

'  And  Bodhisatta  approached  his  brother 
hares  and  preached  to  them ;  but  they  would 
not  listen  to  his  words.  They  said  :  '  Go,  thou. 
Brother  Bodhisatta,  and  perform  a  noble  deed  ; 
go  thou,  and  sacrifice  thyself  for  the  truth; 


12  NIRVANA. 

die  that  others  may  live,  and  take  3'our  chance 
of  being  reborn  in  a  higher  and  better  incarna- 
tion. Bnt  do  not  inconvenience  ns  with  3'our 
sermons.  We  love  life  and  prefer  the  happi- 
ness ^vhich  we  enjo}',  and  which  is  real,  to  the 
spread  of  trnth,  the  bliss  of  which  is  a  mere 
assumption.  There  is  plent3^  of  maize  and 
wheat  and  rice  and  all  kinds  of  sweet  fruits  in 
the  fields  for  us  to  eat.  You  need  not  worry 
about  us.  Ever3dDod3^  must  look  out  for  him- 
self.' 

''Now,  there  was  a  Brahman  who  had  re- 
tired into  the  woods  for  the  sake  of  meditating 
on  the  attainment  of  Nirvana.  And  the  Brah- 
man suffered  severel3^  from  hunger  and  cold. 
He  had  lit  a  fire  to  keep  himself  warm  after  a 
chill3'  shower ;  and  stretching  his  hands  over 
the  fire  he  bewailed  his  lot,  sa3ung :  'I  shall 
die  before  I  have  finished  ni3^  meditation,  fori 
must  starve  for  lack  of  food.' 

"  Bodhisatta,  seeing  the  worth3^  man  in 
need,  said  to  himself:  'This  Brahman  shall 
not  die,  for  his  wisdom  ma3'  still  be  as  a  lamp 
to  man 3^  others  who  grope  in  darkness.  I  will 
offer  m3^self  as  food  to  him.'      "With  these 


the:  story  oi^  the  hare. 


13 


thoughts  in  his  heart,  Bodhisatta  jumped  into 


^rmvivii 


mm 


the  fire  offering  himself  as  meat  for  him  and 
thus  rescued  the  Brahman  from  starvation. 


14 


NIRVANA. 


( i 


Soon  afterwards  tlie  people  of  tlie  coun- 
try, in  fear  of  a  famine,  prepared  a  great  liunt. 
Tlie}^  set  out  all  of  tliem,  on  one  and  the  same 
da}^,  and  drove  the  hares  into  a  narrow  en- 
closure, and  in  one  day  more  than  a  hundred 
thousand  died  under  the  clubs  of  the  hunters." 


WHAT  IS  NIRVANA? 

WHEN  Anuruddha  liad  finished  tlie  story 
of  the  hare  he  said  to  Sudatta:  ''To 
live  means  to  die.  No  creature  that  breathes 
the  breath  of  life  can  escape  death.  All  com- 
posite things  will  be  dissolved  again.  Noth- 
ing can  escape  dissolution.  But  good  deeds 
do  not  die.  They  abide  forever.  This  is  the 
gist  of  the  Abhidharma.  He  who  dares  to  sur- 
render to  death  that  which  belongs  to  death, 
will  live  on  and  will  finally  attain  to  the 
blessed  state  of  Nirvana." 

"What  is  Nirvana?  "  asked  the  3^outh. 

Anuruddha  replied  by  quoting  the  words 
of  the  Great  Master,  saying : 

"When  the  fire  of  lust  is  gone  out  then 
Nirvana  is  gained. 

"When  the  flames  of  hatred  and  illusion 
have  become  extinct  then  Nirvana  is  gained. 
When  the  troubles  of  mind,  arising  from 


( r 


16  NIRVANA. 

pride,    credulit}^,    and    all    other    sins,    liave 
ceased,  then  Nirvana  is  gained." 

The  countenance  of  the  3^outh  betra3'ed  his 
dissatisfaction  with  the  new  doctrines,  and  the 
Buddhist  continued  :  ' '  No  one  who  still  clings 
to  the  illusion  of  Self  can  understand,  let  alone 
taste,  the  sweetness  of  Nirvana.  All  temporal 
existence  is  transient ;  all  composite  things 
have  originated  and  will  be  dissolved  again ; 
and  there  is  nothing  abiding  in  bodil}^  exist- 
ence. Ever}'  concrete  object  has  been  moulded 
b}^  its  causes,  and  ever}^  individual  organism 
has  originated  in  the  natural  course  of  evolu- 
tion, according  to  the  conditions  which  deter- 
mine its  histor3^  The  constituents  of  being 
are  in  a  constant  flux,  and  there  is  nothing 
that  could  be  regarded  as  a  permanent  Self,  as 
an  immortal  being,  as  an  entit}'  of  au}^  kind 
that  would  remain  identical  with  itself.  Know, 
then,  that  which  remains  identical  with  itself, 
that  which  is  eternal,  that  which  is  absolutel}^ 
immutable  and  permanent,  is  not  a  concrete  be- 
ing, not  a  material  bod}^  of  au}^  description, 
not  a  particular  and  individual  existence  ;  not 
a  Self  of  any  kind.     And  yet  it  exists!     The 


WHAT  IS  NIRVANA?  17 

deathless,  the  immortal  and  immutable,  is 
an  actuality  ;  it  is  the  most  significant  and  im- 
portant actuality  in  the  world,  but  this  actu- 
ality is  spiritual,  not  substantial.  And  what  is 
it?  The  deathless,  which  in  its  omnipresence 
is  immutable  and  eternal,  is  the  Bodhi ;  it  is 
the  harmony  of  all  those  verities  that  remain 
the  same  forever  and  aye.  The  truths  on  which 
the  wise  rely  when  they  argue  are  not  par- 
ticular things,  not  single  facts,  not  concrete 
entities,  not  Selfs  of  any  kind,  neither  gods 
nor  animate  beings ;  they  are  nothing — if 
nothing  means  the  absence  of  any  concrete 
thingishness  or  special  selfhood  ;  and  3^  et  their 
nothingness  is  not  a  non-existence.  If  the 
deathless,  the  immortal,  the  immutable,  did 
not  exist,  there  would  be  no  escape  from  the 
sufferings  of  the  world.  If  the  Bodhi  were  an 
illusion  there  would  be  no  enlightenment ; 
Nirvana  could  not  be  attained  and  no  Buddha 
could  ever  appear  to  point  out  the  way  of  sal- 
vation. But  the  Buddha  hath  appeared;  he 
hath  understood  the  utter  groundlessness  of  the 
belief  in  an  immutable  Self ;  he  hath  discovered 
that  all  misery  consists  in  the  clinging  to  Self ; 


18  NIRVANA. 

and  lie  pointetli  out  the  way  of  salvation, 
througli  tlie  attainment  of  the  Bodhi,  leading" 
all  those  who  honestly-  seek  the  light,  on  the 
eightfold  noble  path  of  righteousness,  to  the 
glorious  and  deathless  Nirvana." 

^'Venerable  man,"  saidSudatta,  ''the  noble 
Sakyamuni  of  whom  you  learned  the  doc- 
trine that  3'ou  proclaim  seems  to  be  a  great 
master ;  ^^et  he  will  not  be  honored  in  Ku- 
duraghara,  for  we  are  all  good  orthodox  Brah- 
mans,  and  there  is  not  one  follower  of  the  Bud- 
dha among  us.  Nevertheless,  I  must  not  con- 
ceal from  3^ou  that  there  is  one  man  in  our 
village  who  speaks  highly  of  Sak3'amuni.  It 
is  Maha-Subhuti,  a  friend  of  king  Bimbisara, 
the  judge  and  chief  of  the  township.  If  3^ou 
enter  the  village  go  to  him  and  he  will  receive 
3^ou.  Not  that  he  is  a  follower  of  the  Buddha, 
but  a  friend  of  his  by  personal  attachment,  for 
he  has  met  Gautama^  at  the  king's  court  and  he 
says:  'Should  Brahma,  the  god,  ever  descend 
upon  earth  he  would  appear  like  Gautama  ;  for 
surely  Brahma  could  not  look  more  majestic 
nor  more  divine  than  the  noble  Sak3'amuni.' 
When  you  meet  Subhuti,  the  chief,  greet  him 


WHAT  IS  NIRVANA?  19 

in  my  name,  in  the  name  of  Sudatta,  tlie  son 
of  Roja,  and  lie  will  invite  you  to  witness  the 
marriage  of  his  daughter,  which  shall  take 
place  to-morrow.  Go  then  to  the  house  of 
Maha-Subhuti,  and  there  I  shall  meet  you, 
for  I  am  the  man  to  whom  his  daughter  is  be- 
trothed." 


BEGGING  FOR  ALMS. 

WHEN  Anuruddha  entered  Kuduragliara, 
the  Braliman  village  on  the  precipice 
near  Kuduraghara,  he  hesitated  a  moment  and 
thought  to  himself :  ''What  shall  I  do?  Shall 
I  go  to  ]\Iaha-Subhuti,  or  vshall  I  go  from 
house  to  house  according  to  the  rules  of  the 
order  of  samanas?  "  And  he  decided:  ''The 
rule  must  be  followed.  I  will  not  go  to  Malia- 
Subhuti,  but  will  go  from  house  to  house.'' 

With  form  erect  and  e3'es  cast  down,  hold- 
ing his  bowl  in  his  left  hand,  the  samana 
placed  himself  in  front  of  the  first  house,  pa- 
tiently waiting  for  alms.  As  no  one  appeared 
at  the  door,  the  slender  figure  moved  on.  Many 
refused  to  give  him  an3^thing,  sending  him 
away  with  angry  words.  Even  those  who 
offered  him  a  small  portion  of  rice  called  him  a 
heretic ;  but  as  he  was  free  from  desire  as  to 
his  personal  concerns,  he  blessed  the  donors; 


BEGGING  I^OR  ALMS. 


21 


and,  wlien  lie  saw  that  lie  liad  enougli  to  satisfy 
the  needs  of  tlie  body,  lie  turned  back  to  eat 


m 


/ 


bis  modest  meal  under  tbe  green  trees  of  tbe 
forest.  While  crossing  tbe  square  of  tbe  vil- 
lage, tbere  appeared  in  tbe  door  of  tbe  town 


21  NIRVANA. 

hall  a  dignified  Braliman,  wlio,  after  a  searcli- 
ing  glance  at  the  stranger,  stopped  him  and 
asked:  ''Art  thou  a  disciple  of  the  Blessed 
One,  the  Hol}^  Buddha?" 

"  I  am  Anuruddha,  a  disciple  of  the  Blessed 
One,"  replied  the  samana. 

"Well,  well,"  said  the  Brahman,  "I  should 
know  3'ou,  for  I  have  met  the  Blessed  One  at 
Rajagaha,  and  he  spoke  with  admiration  of 
Anuruddha"  as  a  master  in  metaphysics  and  a 
philosopher  who  has  grasped  the  doctrine  of 
the  Tathagata.  If  you  are  indeed  Anurud- 
dha, I  welcome  3'OU  to  m^^  house.  Do  me  the 
honor,  O  venerable  samama,  of  staying  with 
me  at  m}^  house ;  deign  to  take  3^our  meal  at 
my  residence.  And  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will 
grace  with  A'our  presence  the  marriage  of  my 
daughter,  which  will  take  place  to-morrow." 

"Allow  me,  O  chief  of  Kuduraghara,"  re- 
plied Anuruddha  ' '  to  eat  my  meal  in  the 
forest,  and  to-morrow  I  shall  come  and  wit- 
ness the  marriage  of  3^our  daughter." 

"Be  it  so!"  said  Subhuti.  "You  will  be 
welcome  whenever  3'ou  come." 


THE  WEDDING. 

SUBHUTl'S  mansion  was  decorated  witli 
flags  and  garlands,  and  a  bridal  reception- 
hut  was  built  of  bamboo  in  the  courtyard  over 
the  fireplace.  The  inhabitants  of  Kudura- 
ghara  were  waiting  at  the  door  to  watch  the 
procession. 

Sudatta,  the  groom,  appeared  in  festive 
attire  with  his  friends  and  approached  rever- 
ently the  father  of  the  bride.  The  venerable 
Brahman  chief  received  the  3'oung  man  cor- 
dially and  led  him  to  the  family  altar  in  the 
presence  of  his  wife,  the  bride's  mother,  and 
his  only  son  Kaccha3^ana.  There  he  offered 
to  the  groom  the  hone3^  drink,  and  presented 
to  his  daughter  the  bridal  gown  with  a  costly 
head  ornament  and  a  necklace  of  jewels. 

Addressing  the  groom  he  said:  "It  be- 
hooves a  Brahman  father  to  select  as  husband 
for  his  daughter,  a  Brahman  maiden  of  pure 


24 


NIRVANA. 


caste,  a  Braliman  3^outli,  the  legitimate  son  of 
Braliman  parents,  and  to  marry  the  couple  ac- 
cording to  the  Brahma-rite.  I  have  chosen 
thee,  O  Sudatta,  for  thou  art  worth}^  of  the 
bride.  Thou  art  of  Brahman  caste,  thy  bones, 
thy  knees,  thy  neck,  thy  shoulders  are  strong. 
The  hair  of  thy  head  is  full,  thy  skin  is  white, 
thy  gait  is  erect,  and  thy  voice  is  clear.  Thou 
art  well  versed  in  the  Veda  and  of  good  con- 
duct. Thy  parents  are  respected  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  I  am  confident  that  3^ou  will  fulfil  all 
the  duties  of  a  good  husband.     My  daughter 


^'•^. 


i^- 


/■-  y 


-'J 


shall  be  thy  lawful  wife,  lo3'al  in  adversit}^  as 
well  as  in  good  fortune,  and  may  the  children 


THE  WEDDING. 


25 


tliat  sliall  be  born  to  thee,  and  thy  children's 
children,  be  worthy  of  their  ancestors  in  the 
line  of  either 
parent.    The 
bride  is  ready 


in  her  bridal  garments.     Receive  her  and  per- 
form the  duties  of  life  in  unison.'' 

The  sacrifices  were  properly  performed  ac- 
cording to  the  traditions  of  the  country,  and 


26 


NIRVANA. 


while  the  highest  priest  of  the  village  recited 
the  Mantra,  the  father  of  the  bride  poured  out 


■ T 


the  water  libation.  The  groom  clasped  the 
maiden's  hand,  and  she  stepped  upon  the 
stone   of  firmness.     Then  the  young  couple 


THE  WEDDING.  27 

performed  the  ceremony  of  circumambulat- 
ing tlie  altar  in  seven  steps,  indicating  that 
they  would  henceforth  be  partners  in  life  and 
meet  all  changes  of  fate,  whether  good  or  evil, 
in  unison. 

Thereupon  the  married  couple,  preceded 
by  the  groomsman  Kacchayana,  the  bride's 
brother,  the  bridesmaids,  and  all  the  guests, 
started  for  the  groom's  house,  the  future  home 
of  the  bride.  Fire  from  the  altar  on  which 
the  burnt  offerings  had  been  consumed  was 
carried  in  an  iron  pan  by  a  priest  who  followed 
the  bridal  carriage. 

While  the  bridal  procession  was  passirg 
through  the  street,  the  people  hailed  the  bride 
and  threw  handfuls  of  rice  over  her  with  in- 
vocations and  blessings.  At  Sudatta's  re- 
sidence, the  groom  carried  the  bride  over  the 
threshold.  The  new  hearth  fire  was  lit  with 
the  flames  of  the  bridal  altar,  and  when  the 
prescribed  sacrifice  was  made,  the  young  couple 
circumambulated  the  holy  fire  of  Agni  three 
times.  Then  they  sat  down  on  the  red  cow- 
hide spread  out  before  them,  and  a  little  boy, 
a   relative   of  the   family,  was   placed  in  the 


2S  NIRVANA. 

bride's  lap,  while  the  brother  of  the  groom's 
deceased  father,  a  venerable  old  priest,  prayed 
over  her:  ''  Ma}^  Agni,  who  blazes  forth  with 
hallowed  flame  upon  the  hearth  of  the  house, 
protect  thee !  ]Ma3^  thy  children  prosper  and 
see  the  fulness  of  their  da3^s  !  Be  thou  blessed, 
O  worthy  maiden,  in  thy  bridal  beauty  as  a 
mother  of  healthy  children,  and  ma3^est  thou 
behold  the  happy  faces  of  vigorous  sons!  " 

Then  the  groom  gave  a  handful  of  roasted 
barley  to  the  bride  and  said:  '' Alay  Agni  be- 
stow blessings  upon  the  union  of  our  hands 
and  hearts  !  "  ^ 


A 


A  SERMON  ON  HAPPINESS. 

FTER  the  completion  of  the  wedding 
ceremonies,  Subhuti  invited  his  guests 
to  partake  of  a  meal,  and  seeing  among  the 
people  Anuruddha,  the  philosopher,  he  called 
him  to  sit  at  his  side.  The  guests  were  merry 
and  enjoyed  the  feast,  and  when  the  evening 
grew  cooler  and  the  moon  rose  in  mild  radi- 
ance, the  company  sat  down  under  the  branches 
of  a  large  ban3^an  tree  and  began  to  speak  of 
the  blessings  of  the  gods  and  the  glory  of  their 
country.  Then  Subbuti,  the  judge,  addressed 
Anuruddha  and  said : 

'' Venerable  Anuruddha,  I  cherish  a  high 
regard  for  the  Blessed  One,  the  sage  of  the 
Sakyas,  whom  the  people  call  the  Tathagata, 
the  Holy  Buddha.  But  it  seems  to  me  that 
his  doctrine  will  not  suit  our  people.  It  is  a 
philosophy  for  those  Avho  are  oppressed  by  the 
evils  of  life;  it  affords  a  refuge  to  the  weary, 


30  NIRVANA. 

the  sick,  the  sorrowing;  but  with  the  happy, 
the  powerful,  the  health}^,  it  must  be  a  failure. 
It  may  be  a  balm  for  those  that  are  wounded 
in  the  battle,  but  it  is  distasteful  and  like  unto 
poison  to  the  victor." 

Said  Anuruddha:  ''The  doctrine  of  the 
Blessed  One  is  indeed  for  those  who  are  op- 
pressed by  the  evils  of  life.  It  affords  a  refuge 
to  the  wear3^,  for  it  secures  to  them  health  and 
happiness.  The  happy,  the  powerful,  the  hale, 
need  no  comfort,  no  assistance,  no  medicine. 
But  who  are  hale,  happy,  and  healthy?  Is  there 
an3^  one  among  3'ou  free  from  the  liability  to 
sorrow,  disease,  old  age,  and  death?  If  so,  he 
might  trul}^  be  called  a  victor,  and  he  would 
not  be  in  need  of  salvation. 

''Now,  indeed,  I  see  here  much  happi- 
ness around  me.  But  is  your  happiness  well 
grounded?  Will  3^our  minds  remain  serene  and 
calm  in  the  time  of  affliction  and  in  the  hour 
of  death?  He  onl^^has  attained  genuine  happi- 
ness who  has  entered  the  deathless  Nirvana, 
that  state  of  heart  which  lifts  above  the  petty 
temptations  of  the  world  and  liberates  from 
the  illusion  of  Self.     Happiness  on  account  of 


A  SERMON  ON  HAPPINESS.  31 

worldly  prosperity  is  a  dangerous  condition ; 
for  all  tilings  change,  and  he  only  is  truly 
happy  who  has  surrendered  his  attachment  to 
things  changeable.  There  is  no  genuine  hap- 
piness except  it  be  grounded  upon  religion, 
the  religion  of  the  Tathagata. 

' '  The  Tathagata  opens  the  eyes  of  those 
who  deem  themselves  happy  that  they  may 
see  the  dangers  of  life  and  its  snares.  When 
the  fish  perceives  the  bait  he  believes  he  is 
happy,  but  he  feels  his  misery  as  soon  as  the 
sharp  hook  pierces  his  jaws. 

''He  who  is  anxious  about  his  personal 
happiness  must  always  be  full  of  fear.  He  may 
be  indifferent  to  the  misery  of  his  fellow-be- 
ings, but  he  cannot  be  blind  to  the  fact  that 
the  same  end  awaits  us  all.  Happy  he  who 
resigns  to  death  that  which  belongs  to  death. 
He  has  conquered  death  ;  whatever  be  his  fate, 
he  will  be  calm  and  self-possessed ;  he  has 
surrendered  the  illusion  of  Self  and  has  en- 
tered the  realm  of  the  immortal.  He  has  at- 
tained to  Nirvana." 

Sudatta  looked  at  the  bride  and  said:  "I 
shall  never  embrace  Gautama's  doctrine,  for  it 


32  NIRVANA. 

would  not  behoove  a  groom  to  leave  liis  bride 
for  the  sake  of  the  attainment  of  Nirvana." 

Anuruddha  overheard  Sudatta's  remark 
and  continued  :  ' '  M3^  3' oung  friend  fears  that 
the  doctrine  of  the  Tathagata  would  tear  him 
away  from  the  bride  to  whom  to-day  he  has 
pledged  his  troth.  That  is  not  the  case.  The 
Blessed  One  left  his  Avife  and  child  and  went 
into  homelessness  because  error  prevails  and 
the  world  lies  in  darkness.  Having  reached 
the  deathless  Nirvana,  he  is  now  bent  alone  on 
the  one  aim  of  pointing  out  the  path  to  others, 
and  we,  his  disciples,  who  like  him  have  left 
the  world,  devote  ourselves  to  a  religious  life, 
not  for  our  own  sake,  for  we  have  released  all 
attachment  to  Self,  but  for  the  sake  of  the 
salvation  of  the  world.  Our  maxim  is  ex- 
pressed in  the  one  word  ana  I  lav  ado  ^"^  the  non- 
assertion  of  self. 

''It  is  not  the  severing  of  the  ties  of  life 
that  constitutes  liberation,  but  the  utter  sur- 
render of  Self.  The  hermit  who  has  cut  him- 
self off  from  the  world  but  still  cherishes  in 
his  heart  the  least  inkling  of  desire,  lust- 
ing for  happiness  in  this  life  or  in  a  life  to 


A  SERMON  ON  HAPPINESS.  33 

come,  is  not  yet  free,  wliile  a  humble  house- 
holder, if  he  has  surrendered  all  craving,  may 
attain  that  glorious  condition  of  soul,  the  frui- 
tion of  which  is  Nirvana. 

''He  who  longs  for  a  religious  life  should 
leave  worldly  considerations  behind,  and  apply 
himself  with  all  his  energy  to  obtain  en- 
lightenment. But  he  who  has  duties  to  per- 
form at  home  should  not  shirk  his  responsi- 
bility.    The  Tathagata  says : 

*'  'Cherish  father  and  mother, 
And  wife  and  children  :  this 
And  love  of  a  peaceful  calling, 
Truly,  is  greatest  bliss. 


<  ( < 


Practising  lovingkindness, 
Befriending  one's  kindred  :  this 
And  to  lead  a  life  that  is  blamelesSj 
Truly,  is  greatest  bliss. 

'''Self-control  and  v^isdom. 

The  four  noble  truths,— all  this, 
And  attainment  of  Nirvana, 
Truly,  is  greatest  bliss.  "^^ 


A' 


THE  CONTROVERSY. 

NURUDDH  A  saw  that  Sudatta  was  filled 
with  indignation.  So  he  ceased  to  speak 
and  looked  expectantl3^  at  the  3^oung  man. 
Sndatta  rose  to  his  feet  and  said : 

''  Utter  surrender  of  Self?"  Is  that  the  libera- 
tion which  Gautama  preaches  ?  ^ly  father  called 
him  a  heretic  and  an  infidel,  and  truly  he  was 
not  mistaken,  for  Gautama's  liberation  is  a  de- 
struction :  it  annihilates  man's  Self.  Gautama 
rejects  the  authorit}'  of  the  sacred  Scriptures. 
He  does  not  believe  in  Ishvara,'"  the  Lord  of 
Creation,  and  he  holds  that  there  is  no  soul. 
Yea,  he  is  so  irreligious  that  he  condemns 
sacrifices  as  impious,  ridicules  pra3^er  as  use- 
less, and  would  fain  destroy  our  sacred  institu- 
tion of  castes  on  which  the  social  order  of  our 
civilisation  rests.  His  religion  is  the  negation 
of  all  religion,  it  is  not  divine  but  purel}^  hu- 
man, for  it  rejects  belief  in  the  divinity  of  the 


THE  CONTROVERSY.  35 

Vedas  and  claims  that  enlightenment  is  suffi- 
cient to  illumine  tlie  patli  of  life." 

Anuruddlia  listened  to  Sudatta's  vehement 
denunciations,  and  observing  the  heightened 
color  in  his  cheeks,  thought  to  himself :  '^How 
beautiful  is  this  lad  and  how  noble  does  he  ap- 
pear in  his  pious  zeal  for  the  religion  of  his 
father !  ' '  Then  he  said  :  ^ '  The  Tathagata  does 
not  oppose  Brahmanism.  He  who  has  grasped 
his  doctrines  will  understand  that  he  is  a  re- 
former. He  revealed  to  us  a  higher  interpreta- 
tion of  religion." 

Replied  Sudatta :  "A  denial  of  the  exist- 
ence of  the  Self '^  will  destroy  all  religion." 

Anuruddha  asked  :  ' '  What  do  3^ou  mean  by 
Self?" 

Sudatta,  who  was  well  trained  in  the  Ve- 
danta  philosophy,  said:  ''My  Self  is  the  im- 
mutable eternal  Ego  that  directs  my  thoughts. 
It  is  that  which  sa3'S  '  I.'  " 

' '  What  is  the  Ego  or  that  which  says  '  I '  ?  " 
exclaimed  Anuruddha  :  ' '  There  is  unquestion- 
ably something  which  says  'I'  in  me,  and  in 
you,  and  in  everybody  present.  But  when 
we  say  'I,'  it  is  a  mode  of  speech,  as  much 


36 


NIRVANA. 


as    are    all    the    other   words    and    ideas  that 
people  our  minds.     The  word  'I,'  it  is  true; 


remains    the    same    throughout   life,    but    its 
significance  changes.  It  originates  in  the  child 


THE  CONTROVERSY.  37 

with  tlie  development  of  self -consciousness, 
and  denotes  first  a  boy,  tlien  a  youth,  after 
that  a  man,  and  at  last  a  dotard.  The  word 
may  remain  the  same,  l3Ut  the  substance  of  its 
meaning"  changes.  Accordingly,  that  some- 
thing which  says  'I,'  is  neither  eternal,  nor 
immutable,  nor  divine,  nor  what  Yoga  philo- 
sophers call  '  the  real  Self.'  It  is  a  word  which 
signifies  the  whole  personality  of  the  speaker 
with  all  his  sensations,  sentiments,  thoughts, 
and  purposes." 

The  Brahman  replied  :  ' '  Gautama  is  an  in- 
fidel who  denies  the  existence  of  the  soul,  and 
yet  is  so  inconsistent  as  to  talk  about  rebirth 
in  future  incarnations,  and  of  immortality." 

^'Let  us  not  haggle  about  words,  friend 
Sudatta,"  said  the  samana,  "but  understand 
the  doctrine  aright.  The  Tathagata  looks  upon 
that  assumedly  immutable  ego-self  of  which 
3^ou  speak  as  an  error,  an  illusion,  a  dream; 
and  attachment  to  it  will  produce  egotism 
which  is  a  craving  for  happiness  either  here  on 
earth  or  beyond  in  heaven.  But  while  that 
illusory  Self  is  an  error  of  your  philosophy, 
your  personality  is  real.  There  is  not  a  person 


38  NIRVANA. 

wlio  is  in  possession  of  character,  tliouglits, 
and  deeds  ;  but  character,  thoughts,  and  deeds 
themselves  are  the  person.  There  is  not  an  ego 
in  3'ou,  O  Sudatta,  that  thinks  3^our  thoughts 
and  shapes  3'our  character,  but  your  thoughts 
themselves  are  thinking,  and  your  character 
itself  is  the  nature  of  ^'our  very  self.  Your 
character,  3'our  thoughts,  3^our  volitions  are 
3' on  3^ourself.  You  have  not  ideas,  but  3'ou 
are  ideas." 

^'But  who  is  the  lord  of  these  ideas  of 
mine?"  asked  Sudatta.  '' Here  3^our  theory 
is  wanting.  Blessed  is  he  who  knows  that  the 
lord  of  his  ideas  is  his  ego,  his  Self." 

Anuruddha  continued:  "The  ego-idea  is 
not  a  lord  who  owns  3^our  bod3^  and  mind, 
directing  the  emotions  and  impulses  of  3^our 
character ;  but  those  of  3^our  emotions  which 
are  the  strongest,  the3^  are  the  Lord,  they 
govern  you.  If  evil  passions  grow  in  3^our 
heart,  3'ou  will  be  like  a  ship  which  is  at  the 
mercy  of  the  winds  and  the  currents  of  the 
sea ;  but  if  the  aspiration  for  enlightenment 
takes  possession  of  3'ou,  it  will  steer  you  to  the 
haven  of  Nirvana  where  all  illusions  cease  and 


THE  CONTROVERSY.  39 

the  heart  will  be  tranquil  like  a  still,  smooth 
lake.  Deeds  are  done ;  and  the  doing  of  deeds 
passes  away  ;  but  that  which  is  accomplished 
by  deeds  abides ;  just  as  a  man  who  writes  a 
letter  ceases  writing,  but  the  letter  remains. 
Considering  the  permanence  that  is  in  deeds, 
what  can  be  better  than  shaping  our  future 
existence  wisely?  Lay  up  a  treasure  of  charit}^, 
purity,  and  sober  thoughts.  He  who  lives  in 
noble  thoughts  and  good  deeds  will  live  for- 
ever, though  the  bod3^  i^iay  die.  He  will  be 
reborn  in  a  higher  existence  and  will  at  last 
attain  the  bliss  of  Nirvana.  There  is  no  trans- 
migration of  a  self -substance,  but  there  is  a 
re-incarnation  of  thought-forms  which  takes 
place  according  to  the  deeds  that  are  done." 
''The  Buddha  teaches  that  good  deeds 
should  be  done  vigorously,  and  only  the  bad 
volitions  which  are  done  from  vanit}^,  or  lust, 
or  sloth,  or  greed,  should  be  eradicated." 

Sudatta's  belief  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Self 
was  not  shaken.  No,  he  felt  more  assured  than 
ever  of  its  truth,  for  his  whole  religion  hung  on 
it,  and  he  exclaimed:    "What   are  my  deeds 


40  NIRVANA. 

without  1113'  Self?    What  is  enjo^mient  if  I  am 
not  the  enjoyer?  " 

Anuruddha's  pensive  countenance  grew 
more  serious  than  ever :  "  Dismiss  the  craving 
for  enjo^anent  and  all  thought  of  Self  and  live 
in  your  deeds  for  they  are  the  realit3^  of  life. 
All  creatures  are  such  as  they  are  through 
their  deeds  in  former  existences.  The  thought- 
forms  are  the  realities  of  our  spiritual  life. 
The^^  are  transferred  from  one  individual  to 
another.  Individuals  die,  but  their  thought- 
forms  will  be  reincarnated  according  to  their 
deeds.  Deeds  shape  in  the  slow  process  of 
growth  the  thought-structures  which  build  up 
our  personalit}^,  and  that  which  3^ou  call  the 
person,  the  enjoyer,  the  Self,  is  the  totalit}^ 
of  your  thought-forms,  the  living  memory  of 
past  deeds.  Deeds  done  in  past  existences  are 
stamped  upon  each  creature  in  the  character 
of  his  present  existence.  Thus  the  past  has 
borne  the  present,  and  the  present  is  the  womb 
of  the  future.  This  is  the  law  of  Karma,  the 
law  of  deeds,  the  law  of  cause  and  effect." 

^' You  take  away  the  unity  of  the  soul,"  re- 
plied Kacchayana. 


THE  CONTROVERSY.  41 


( ( 


Sa3^  rather,"  rejoined  Anuruddha,  "I  in- 
sist upon  the  complexity  and  wealth  of  man's 
spiritual  nature.  So  long  as  the  illusion  of 
self  is  upon  you,  you  cannot  reach  Nirvana." 

The  sam ana's  words  were  weighty  and 
serious.  Nevertheless,  his  auditor  remained 
unconvinced,  and  Kacchayana  murmured  to 
himself:  "  Gautama's  doctrine  cannot  be  the 
truth.  It  would  be  a  sad  truth,  indeed,  if  it 
were  true  after  all.  I  shall  hold  fast  to  the 
dearest  hope  of  the  religion  of  my  father." 

The  samana  replied:  ''Choose  not  the 
dearest  but  the  truest ;  for  the  truest  is  the 
best." 


THE  KATHA-UPANISHAD/^ 

SUDATTA  was  too  liappy  to  give  himself 
trouble  about  the  doctrines  of  a  heretical 
teacher.  He  would  have  dismissed  all  thought 
of  his  controversy  with  Anuruddha,  had  he  not 
been  reminded  of  it  from  time  to  time  by  his 
father-in-law  and  by  Kaccha3^ana,  his  brother- 
in-law,  who  continued  to  discuss  the  religious 
innovations  of  the  Tathagata.  They  granted 
that  caste  distinctions  were  hard  on  the  lower 
castes,  but  declared  that  the}^  could  not  be  re- 
laxed without  injury  to  the  communit3^,  and 
there  was  no  question  about  its  being  a  divine 
institution.  Yet  it  was  right  to  extend  our 
S3anpathy  to  all  sentient  beings  that  suffer, 
and  the  lowest  creatures  should  not  be  ex- 
cepted. Certainl3^  we  must  not  b3^  negligence 
of  worship  provoke  the  wrath  of  the  gods  ;  but 
were  the  gods  truly  in  need  of  the  blood3^  sac- 
rifices offered  at  their  altars? 


THE  KATHA-UPANISHAD. 


43 


Sucli  were  the  questions   tliat   moved  tlie 
minds  of  Subliuti  and  Kaccliayana ;   and  tliey 


.  ->f-  - 


..M'^Zk 


•r,.> 


'^- 


#.-sJ 


began  to  doubt  while  they  investigated ;   yet 
they  remained  good  Brahmans. 

One  day  Subhuti,  the  chief  of  Kuduraghara, 


44 


NIRVANA. 


came  to  liis  son  with  a  jo3'ful  countenance  and 
said:  '^  KaccHayana,  m3^  ^03^,  I  trust  that  I 
have  found  the  solution  of  the  problem.     It 


came  to  me  while  I  was  preparing  myself  for 
a  performance  of  the  Nachiketas  fire-sacrifice, 
after  the  manner  of  the  Katha  school.  While 
reading  the  Yajur-Veda,  I  understood  the  dif- 


THE  KATHA-UPANISHAD.  45 

faculties  and  all  doubts  were  resolved.  Take 
leaves  from  the  big  palm-tree  in  our  garden, 
and  bleacli  tliem,  cut  off  their  pointed  ends 
and  prepare  them  for  writing.  I  am  eager  to 
give  a  definite  shape  to  my  thoughts  before  I 
forget  them." 

Said  Kacchayana  with  ardent  expectation : 
''And  what  in  brief  is  the  solution  3^ou  have 
arrived  at?  " 

The  Brahman  chief  replied  :  ''  Listen,  I  will 
tell  you.  Death  is  the  great  teacher  of  the 
deepest  problems  of  life.  He  who  wants  to 
know  the  immortal  must  enter  the  house  of 
Death  and  learn  from  death  the  secret  of  life. 
There  is  no  child  born  in  this  world  but  is 
destined  to  be  an  offering  to  Death.  Yet  Death 
is  not  Brahma,  he  is  not  the  ruler  and  lord ; 
he  portends  dissolution  but  cannot  annihilate 
the  soul,  and  the  man  who  fears  him  not  is 
granted  three  boons.  Death  allows  those  who 
enter  his  house  to  return  and  be  reborn ;  he 
further  concedes  that  the  deeds  of  men  shall 
be  imperishable ;  and  lastly  he  reveals  to  the 
courageous  inquirer  the  m3^stery  of  life." 

Said  Kacchayana :  ''  Profound,  O  father,  are 


46  NIRVANA. 

these  tliouglits ;  but  the  main  thing"  is,  What 
is  the  lesson  Death  teaches?  " 

Subhuti  collected  his  thoughts,  and  after  a 
pause  said  :  ''  The  doctrine  of  the  Blessed  One 
has  deepl}'  affected  my  mind,  but  I  am  not  as 
yet  convinced  that  the  fundamental  notions  of 
our  sacred  religion  are  baseless.  Is  the  great 
fire  sacrifice  indeed  an  empt}'  ceremony-  that 
bears  no  fruit?  If  it  were,  our  sages  would 
truly  be,  as  sa3^s  the  Sakyamuni,  blind  leaders 
of  the  blind.  Sacrifices  are  without  fruit  to  him 
only  who  has  not  conquered  the  desires  of 
his  heart  and  has  not  severed  the  ties  which 
bind  him  to  that  which  is  transient." 

After  a  brief  pause  Subhuti  continued : 
"And  the  idea  of  an  immutable  Self  cannot 
be  mere  fiction.  I  understand  now  that  the 
Self  is  the  uncreated  and  the  sole  ruler  within 
all  things,  yet  it  cannot  be  seen  by  the  eye, 
reached  by  the  speech  or  apprehended  b3^  the 
mind  ;  the  Self  must  be  imagined  b}^  the  heart. 
The  Self  is  briefl3^  expressed  in  the  exclama- 
tion '  Om,'  and  is  the  absolute  being  which  is 
neither  born  nor  dies." 

''Your  solution,  then,"  continued  Kaccha- 


THE  KATHA-UPANISHAD.  47 

yana,  ''though  a  new  Brahmanism  is  a  justifi- 
cation of  the  old?  " 

"Indeed  it  is,"  enjoined  Subhuti,  ''but  my 
attitude  is  considerably  modified  by  the  sug- 
gestions of  our  friend  Anuruddha.  I  grant  that 
that  which  is  good  is  one  thing  and  that  which 
is  dear  to  our  hearts  is  another  thing ;  and  it 
is  well  to  cling  to  the  good  and  abandon,  for 
the  sake  of  the  better,  that  which  is  dear  to  our 
hearts.  I  cannot  den3^  the  truth  which  the  Ta- 
thagata  impresses  upon  the  minds  of  his  fol- 
lowers, that  all  compounded  things  will  be  dis- 
solved, but  I  feel  in  my  inmost  heart  that 
there  is  something  which  death  cannot  de- 
stroy ;  and  it  is  that  which  our  sages  call  the 
Self.  I  am  anxious  .to  know  what  it  is,  for 
only  he  who  knows  it  will  find  peace  of  soul. 
Let  Anuruddha  explain  to  me  the  problem  of 
the  Self,  but  he  must  not  say  that  there  is 
nothing  that  I  can  call  my  own,  that  life  is 
empty,  and  that  the  eternal  has  no  existence." 

During  the  rainy  season  Subhuti  could  be 
seen  writing  in  the  shelter  of  his  veranda,  and 


48  NIRVANA. 

when  the  sun  broke  through  the  clouds  and 
the  blue  sk}^  reappeared  in  its  former  beauty 
he  had  his  treatise  finished,  which  he  called 
the  Katha-Upanishad. 


THE  IMMORTALITY  OF  DEEDS. 

IT  was  in  these  days  of  the  return  of  good 
weather  that  the  disciples  of  the  Blessed 
Bnddha  were  wont  to  start  out  on  their  pil- 
grimages through  the  country  preaching  the 
glorious  doctrine  of  salvation,  and  Anuruddha 
passed  again  through  the  village  of  Avanti 
while  Subhuti  sat  before  his  house  in  the 
shade  of  a  sala  tree  reading  and  reconsidering 
what  he  had  written.  The  two  men  exchanged 
greetings,  and  when  Anuruddha  saw  the  manu- 
script, they  at  once  began  to  discuss  the  great 
problem  of  the  Hereafter. 

Subhuti  read  to  Anuruddha  the  Katha-Upa- 
nishad,  and  the  venerable  monk  was  greatly 
pleased  with  its  literary  beauty  and  thought- 
fulness,  but  he  shook  his  head  and  said: 
^' Truly  there  is  the  immortal,  but  the  im- 
mortal is  not  a  Self,  the  immortal  is  not  a  be- 
ing, it  is  not  an  entity,  nor  is  it  the  ego  that 


50  NIRVANA. 

appears  in  our  perception  of  consciousness. 
All  tilings,  all  beings,  all  entities,  all  shapes 
of  substances  are  compounds,  and  compounds 
are  subject  to  dissolution.  The  immortal  is 
not  as  3^ou  have  it  smaller  than  small  and 
greater  than  great ;  it  is  neither  small  nor 
great ;  it  is  unsubstantial  and  without  bodih^ 
shape.  The  immortal  consists  in  the  eternal 
verities  b}^  which  existence  is  swa^^ed  ;  it  is 
the  immutable  law  of  life  the  cognition  of 
which  constitutes  enlightenment.  The  highest 
verities  are  the  four  noble  truths,  of  miser}^, 
the  origin  of  miser}-,  the  escape  from  miser}-, 
and  the  eightfold  path  of  righteousness,  which 
leads  to  the  escape  from  miser}-." 

Said  Subhiiti^  ''  I  grant  that  the  eternal  can- 
not be  a  material  thing  ;  the  eternal  cannot  be 
a  compound ;  it  must  be  immaterial ;  it  is 
spiritual.  The  self  is  not  the  bod}-,  not  the 
senses,  not  the  mind,  not  the  intellect;  it  is 
that  by  which  man  perceives  all  objects  in 
sleep  or  in  waking.  The  consciousness  '  I  am  ' 
is  the  great  omnipresent  Self,  which  is  bodi- 
less within  the  body,  as  agni,  the  fire,  lies 
hidden  in  the  two  fire  sticks," 


THE  IMMORTALITY  OF  DEEDS. 


51 


\ 


Anuruddha  paid  close  attention  toSubliuti's 
expositions,  and  replied  in  quick  repartee: 
^'Agni,  the  fire,  does  not  lie  hidden  in  the  two 
fire  sticks.  The  two  fire 
sticks  are  wood,  nothing 
but  wood  ;  and  there  is  no 
fire  hidden  in  either  stick. 
The  fire  originates  through 
the  friction  produced  by 
your  hands.  In  the  same 
way  consciousness  origi- 
nates as  a  product  of  condi- 
tions and  disappears  when 
the  conditions  cease.  When 
the  wood  is  burnt,  whither 
does  the  fire  go?  And  when 
the  conditions  of  conscious- 
ness cease,  where  does  con- 
sciousness abide?  " 

''My friend,"  said 
Subhuti,  "we  must 
distinguish  between  the  thing  and  its  phenom- 
enon ;  between  Agni  and  the  flame ;  between 
consciousness  and  its  manifestations  ;  between 
the  person  and  the  properties  of  a  person,  his 


52  NIRVANA. 

faculties  or  activities ;  between  the  wind  and 
the  commotion  w^hich  the  wind  creates." 

''  Must  we?  "  asked  musingly  the  Brahman 
chief's  guest.  "It  is  true,  we  are  in  the  habit 
of  sa^dng  '  the  wind  blows,'  as  if  there  were 
the  wind  performing  the  action  of  blowing ; 
but  there  are  not  two  things :  first  the  wind, 
and  then  the  act  of  blowing ;  there  is  only  one 
thing,  which  is  the  motion  of  the  air,  called 
wind,  or,  by  a  license  of  speech,  we  speak  of 
the  blowing  of  the  Avind.  In  the  same  way 
there  is  not  a  person  that  remembers  deeds, 
but  the  memories  of  the  deeds  are  themselves 
the  person." 

When  a  man  is  dead,"  enjoined  Subhuti, 

some  sa3^  he  exists,  and  others  he  exists  not. 
I  understand  that  the  Blessed  One  teaches  that 
he  no  longer  exists,  which  means,  to  put  it 
squarely,  that  there  is  no  hereafter." 

''No,  sir,"  Anuruddha  answered  almost 
sharpl3^ :  "No,  sir.  Your  dilemma  rests  upon 
a  wrong  premise.  That  Self  of  3^ours  does  not 
now  exist,  how  then  can  it  continue  to  exist 
after  you  have  gone?  That,  however,  which 
you  are  now,  will  persist  after  the  termination 


THE  IMMORTALITY  OF  DEEDS.  53 

of  your  bodily  existence.  Truly  you  are  riglit 
when  you  compare  man  in  your  Katlia-Upa- 
nisliad  to  that  ancient  tree  whose  roots  grow 
upward  and  whose  branches  grow  downward. 
As  the  tree  reappears  with  all  the  character- 
istics of  its  kind,  so  man  is  reincarnated,  and 
his  peculiar  karma  is  reborn  in  new  individ- 
uals. There  is  no  Self  in  the  fig-tree  that  mi- 
grates from  the  parent  stem  to  the  new  shoots, 
but  the  type  in  all  its  individual  features  is 
preserved  in  the  further  growth  and  in  the 
evolution  of  new  trees." '^ 

''There  is  one  eternal  thinker,"  said  Su- 
bhuti,  "thinking  non-eternal  thoughts,  and 
the  eternal  thinker  is  the  Self." 

"Would  not  your  statement  be  truer," 
interrupted  Anuruddha,  "  if  reversed :  there 
are  eternal  thoughts  which  are  thought  by 
non-eternal  thinkers?  In  other  words,  what  we 
call  a  thinker  is  but  the  thinking  of  the  thought ; 
and  the  thinking  of  true  thoughts  is  the  attain- 
ment of  the  eternal.  The  Truth  is  the  Im- 
mortal, the  truth  is  Nirvana." 

There  was  a  lull  in  the  conversation  and 
after  a  pause  the  Buddhist  monk  continued : 


54  NIRVANA. 

"  Your  Katlia-Upanisliad  is  a  discourse  on  the 
problem  ;  it  is  a  formulation  of  the  How'^  as 
to  the  hereafter,  but  instead  of  giving  an  an- 
swer, it  merely  builds  up  a  beautiful  air-castle. 
The  true  solution  is  only  given  in  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Tathagata." 

The  Brahman  chief  felt  that  his  most  sacred 
convictions  were  omitted  in  this  statement, 
and  he  asked,  not  without  a  tremor  of  uneasi- 
ness in  his  voice:  ''Is  there  nothing  in  me 
that  is  immutable,  nothing  that  is  eternal  and 
immortal?  " 

"Whether  or  not  there  is  an3'thing  im-^ 
mortal  in  3^ou,"  was Anuruddha's  repl}^,  "de- 
pends solely  upon  3^ourself.  If  you  consist  of 
thoughts  that  are  pure  and  hol^^,  3^ou  are  pure 
and  hol^^ ;  if  you  consist  of  thoughts  that  are 
sinful,  3^ou  are  sinful;  and  if  3'ou  consist  of 
immortal  truth,  3^ou  are  immortal.  The  attain- 
ment of  truth  is  immortalit3^,  and  to  do  the 
work  of  truth  is  Nirvana." 

Subhiiti  shook  his  head.  "  I  want  to  possess 
the  truth,  but  I  do  not  want  to  lose  my  own 
identit3^" 

"And  I,"  enjoined  Anuruddha,  "want  the 


THE  IMMORTALITY  OF  DEEDS.  55 

truth  to  possess  me  so  as  to  lose  myself  in  tlie 
cause  of  the  Truth.  What  a  blessing  it  is  to 
have  a  higher  purpose  in  life  than  self!  " 

Subhuti  gazed  at  his  friend  in  amazement : 
"What  shall  I  be  after  the  dissolution  of  my 
body  in  death?  I  shrink  from  losing  my  Self. 
Should  there  be  nothing  that  I  can  call  my 
own?" 

''Let  my  reply,"  rejoined  Anuruddha,  "be 
in  the  words  of  the  Blessed  One,  who  said : 

"  'Naught  follows  him  who  leaves  this  life  ; 
For  all  things  must  be  left  behind  : 
Wife,  daughters,  sons,  one's  kin,  and  friends, 
Gold,  grain,  and  wealth  of  every  kind. 
But  every  deed  a  man  performs. 
With  bod}^  or  with  voice,  or  mind, 
'Tis  this  that  he  can  call  his  own, 
This  will  he  never  leave  behind. 

** 'Deeds,  like  a  shadow,  ne'er  depart: 
Bad  deeds  can  never  be  concealed  ; 
Good  deeds  cannot  be  lost  and  will 
In  all  their  glory  be  revealed. 
Let  all,  then,  noble  deeds  perform, 
As  seeds  sown  in  life's  fertile  field  ; 
For  merit  gained  this  life  within. 
Rich  blessings  in  the  next  will  yield. '"^^ 


56  NIRVANA. 

Having  quoted  tlie  words  of  the  Blessed 
One,  Anuruddlia  continued  :  ''  Your  deeds  are 
your  own  and  will  remain  3'our  own  forever 
and  aye.  Your  thoughts,  your  words,  your 
actions  are  not  gone  when  they  are  past ; 
they  stay  with  3^ou.  They  are  the  living  stones 
of  which  the  structure  of  3^our  being  is  built 
up.  And  there  is  no  power  in  heaven  nor 
upon  earth,  nor  even  in  hell,  by  which  you 
can  get  rid  of  them.  Your  life-history  is  your 
Self,  3^our  actual  self,  and  as  your  life-history 
continues  after  your  death,  so  3^our  identical 
self  will  remain.  When  we  pass  away  we  shall 
continue  to  live  according  to  our  deeds." 


THE  EPIDEMIC. 

THREE  cHildren  were  born  to  the  3'Oung 
couple,  and  all  three  were  boys  full  of 
promise.  Sudatta's  prospects  were  brighter 
than  he  had  ever  dared  to  hope.  But  times 
change  and  misfortunes  overcome  men  some- 
times wdien  least  expected.  A  drought  set  in, 
w^hich  dried  up  all  the  wells  of  the  country, 
spreading  famine  and  contagious  disease.  The 
people  prayed  to  the  gods,  they  fasted  and  ex- 
piated their  sins,  the  priests  offered  sacrifices 
and  recited  incantations,  but  the  rain  did  not 
fall.  More  sacrifices  were  offered,  and  the 
blood  of  slaughtered  animals  reeked  to  heaven  ; 
yet  the  drought  continued ;  the  gods  remained 
deaf  to  the  prayers  of  the  priests ;  the  famine 
became  worse,  and  the  disease  caused  more 
ravage  than  before. 

Subhuti,  the  chief,  did  all  he  could  to  alle- 
viate the  sorry  lot  of  his  afEicted  people.     He 


58 


NIRVANA. 


was  a  rich  man,  but  liis  wealth  proved  insuffi- 
cient to  feed  the  poor. 

Sudatta  did  his  best  in  ministering  unto 
the  sick.  Having  learned  from  his  father,  the 
village  priest  whose  office  it  was  to  gather  the 
sacred  herbs  for  sacrifices,  the  virtues  of  vari- 
ous plants,  he  brewed  medicinal  drinks  for  as- 
suaging the  sufferings  of  the  patients  and  he 
was  aided  in  his  work  by  Subhuti  his  noble 
father-in-law  andKaccha3'ana, 
his  brother-in-law. 

When  at 
last  the  epi - 


?W  -r^'lri>»->-i^ 


demic  began  to  abate,  it  came    to   pass  that 
Subhuti  the  chief  himself  fell  sick.    At  first  it 


THE  EPIDEMIC. 


59 


seemed  that  lie  was  merely  exhausted  tlirougli 


','. 

.^  ,^.' 

-  y.. 

'i  ',   :' 

•  .  -;' 

•,       V. 

'   //■ 

'■\    i. 

■*.; 

r' 

:  ~i  ■/ 

I 


~^-^M 


i 


niglit-watclies  and  grief,  but  soon  it  became 
apparent  that  he  was  affected  by  the  disease 


60  NIRVANA. 

and  liis  condition  grew  very  critical.  His 
relatives  gathered  at  liis  bedside  and  were  in- 
consolable. 

He  had  been  so  faithful  in  his  kindness  to 
every  one  that  the}^  thought  they  could  not 
live  without  him ;  but  he  himself  remained 
serene  and  self-possessed.  Having  blessed 
his  sons,  his  daughter,  and  grand-children, 
he  comforted  them,  sa3dng :  ^' Cease  sorrow- 
ing ;  there  is  no  loss  in  this  body  of  flesh  ; 
it  is  outworn  by  old  age  and  disease  like  a 
garment.  If  3'ou  cherish  with  faithful  hearts 
the  example  that  I  set  3^ou,  death  can  never 
separate  us." 

When  the  evening  came,  Subhuti  sent  away 
his  daughter  and  grand-children,  keeping  only 
Kaccha3^ana  and  Sudatta  with  him.  And  when 
the  pain  of  the  disease  for  a  while  abated, 
he  said:  ''The  sufferings  which  I  witnessed 
opened  mine  e3^es  and  I  have  understood  the 
four  noble  truths  proclaimed  b3^  the  Tatha- 
gata.  I  feel  that  m3^  life  is  ebbing  away, 
but  I  am  not  troubled  in  m3^  mind,  for  death 
has  lost  its  terrors.  Wherever  I  shall  be  re- 
born, I    am    confident    that    it  Viill    be    on    a 


THE  EPIDEMIC.  61 

higlier  plane  and  I  sliall  be  a  step  nearer 
the  lioly  goal  Nirvana." 

"  Surel3^,  father,"  rejoined  Sudatta,  ''after 
a  long  life  spent  in  doing  good,  thou  deservest 
a  high  reward,  which  will  be  nothing  less 
than  the  bliss  of  Brahma's  heaven." 

Rallying  all  his  strength  once  more,  Su- 
bhiiti  replied:  ''Speak  not  of  rewards  while 
there  are  duties  to  be  performed.  Brahma's 
heaven  is  made  for  those  who  cling  to  the 
thought  of  Self.  I  am  confident  that  this 
present  incarnation  of  mine  shall  have  peace  ; 
but  not  m3^  love  for  mankind ;  not  my  S}- m- 
pathy  with  those  who  suffer ;  not  my  truth- 
seeking  mind.  So  long  as  there  is  suffering 
in  the  w^orld  I  shall  never  entertain  any  desire 
to  ascend  into  a  heaven  of  bliss  ;  I  want  to  be 
reborn  in  the  depths  of  hell.  There  the  misery 
is  greatest  and  salvation  most  needed.  That 
is  the  best  place  to  enlighten  those  in  dark- 
ness, to  rescue  what  is  lost,  and  to  point  out 
the  path  to  those  who  have  gone  astray." 

With  these  words  Subhiiti  fell  back  ex- 
hausted. He  murmured  with  a  broken  voice 
the  refuge  formula  of  the  Buddhists,  saying: 


62 


NIRVANA. 


**I  take  my  refuge  in  the  Buddha, 
I  take  m\'  refuge  in  the  Dharma, 
I  take  m}^  refuge  in  the  Sargha." 


THE  EPIDEMIC.  63 

Having  thus  given  expression  to  the  faith 
that  was  in  him,  his  eyes,  which  had  just 
before  been  sparkling  with  noble  enthusiasm, 
grew  dim,  and  he  passed  away  peacefully. 

A  holy  stillness  pervaded  the  room. 

And  it  happened  that  very  evening  that 
Anuruddha  passed  through  Kuduraghara  and 
when  he  came  to  the  mansion  of  Subuhti  he 
found  his  friend  the  chief  no  longer  among 
the  living.  He  saluted  Kacchayana  and  Su- 
datta  and  sat  down  with  them  in  silence. 

The  sun  sank  down  and  Kacchayana  lit  a 
candle,  but  no  one  spoke  a  word. 

When  the  night  advanced  Anuruddha  raised 
his  sonorous  voice  and  sang : 

"How  transient  are  things  mortal! 
How  restless  is  man's  life  ! 
But  Peace  stands  at  the  portal 
Of  Death,  and  ends  all  strife. 

''Life  is  a  constant  parting — 

One  more  the  stream  has  crossed ; 
But  think  ye  who  stand  smarting 
Of  that  which  ne'er  is  lost. 


64  NIRVANA. 

**A11  rivers  flowing,  flowing, 

Must  reach  the  distant  main  ; 
The  seeds  w^hich  we  are  sewing 
Will  ripen  into  grain.  "^^ 


COPYING  THE  MANUSCRIPT. 

KACCHAYANA  joined  Anuruddlia  on 
his  journey  to  Rajagalia,  and  when  he 
saw  the  Blessed  One  and  heard  him  explain 
the  doctrine,  he  entered  the  order  of  samanas 
and  became  a  man  of  repute  among  them  on 
account  of  his  wisdom.  When  he  returned 
home  he  retired  into  the  forest  near  Kudurag- 
hara  to  a  place  called  the  Precipice,  and  the 
people  of  his  village  called  him  Maha-Kaccha- 
yana,'^  for  although  they,  being  Brahmans, 
looked  upon  him  as  a  heretic,  they  respected 
him  and  said  :  ' '  He  is  one  of  the  great  disciples 
of  the  Blessed  One,  well  versed  in  both,  the 
Brahman  and  Buddhist  Scriptures,  and  we 
know  that  he  has  attained  the  highest  degree 
of  scholarship  and  sanctity." 

Sudatta  had  lost  his  faith  in  the  religion  of 
his  fathers,  without,  however,  adopting  the  new 
faith  of  the  Buddhists.     One  day,  when  walk- 


i  i 


66  NIRVANA. 

ingwitli  liis  brother-in-law  tHrough  the  village, 
he  said :  ' '  Is  it  not  sad  to  lose  a  father  or  any 
one  whom  we  dearly  love?  Trul}^  there  is  no 
doctrine  that  can  take  awa3^  the  pangs  of  grief 
and  afford  gennine  comfort." 

My   dear  brother,"   replied  Kaccha3'ana, 

so  long  as  your  aim  is  to  escape  suffering 
for  your  own  person,  you  are  not  3^et  free.  Let 
the  pain  of  3^our  grief  have  its  wa}^,  and  do  not 
try  to  be  exempt  from  the  natural  law  to 
which  all  mortals  are  subject  alike." 

''But  consider,"  objected  the  other  one, 
"the  terrible  fate  of  the  dead.  Is  it  not  an 
awful  thought  that  their  whole  existence  is 
wiped  out  as  if  they  had  never  been  ?  " 

''  There  you  are  mistaken,"  suggested  Kac- 
cha3^ana.  Death  is  a  dissolution,  but  man's 
existence  is  not  wiped  out  as  though  he  had 
never  been,  for  ever^-  deed  of  his  continues  in 
its  peculiar  identit3^" 

A  sad  smile  appeared  onSudatta's  face  when 
he  interrupted  his  brother-in-law :  ' '  That  is 
nothing  more  than  a  mode  of  speech.  If  the 
dead  continue  to  live,  please  tell  me  where  is 
our  father  now?  " 


COPYING  THE  MANUSCRIPT.  67 

Kacclia3^ana  replied :  ''Is  he  not  here  witli 
us?  "  And  after  a  pause  he  continued :  ''It  is 
with  men  as  with  books.  You  can  write  vile 
things  or  good  and  noble  thoughts  upon  palm 
leaves.  The  book  does  not  consist  of  leaves 
but  of  ideas.  The  leaves  are  mere  material 
for  the  scribe,  and  there  are  thousands  of 
leaves  on  the  palms  that  Avill  never  be  turned 
into  books.  When  our  father,  the  venerable 
Subhuti,  pondered  over  the  problem  of  death, 
he  composed  the  Katha-Upanishad  which  ap- 
peared to  me  more  valuable  than  any  one  I 
had  ever  heard  or  read.  He  wrote  it  upon  the 
leaves  of  the  big  palm-tree  in  our  garden. 
When  the  leaves  were  bleached  and  prepared 
for  writing,  our  venerable  father  scratched  the 
words  of  the  Upanishad  into  the  leaves,  and 
when  he  died  left  them  to  me  as  my  most  pre- 
cious inheritance,  for  they  are  not  treasures  of 
worldly  goods,  but  a  monument  of  his  medita- 
tions which  contains  his  immortal  soul.  For- 
merly I  held  them  dear  because  I  valued  them 
as  a  specimen  of  his  hand-writing,  but  now  I 
deem  his  thoughts  to  be  of  higher  worth.  Dur- 
ing the  great  drought  the  leaves  became  worm- 


68  NIRVANA. 

eaten,  and  tlie3^  are  now  breaking  to  pieces.  I 
have  the  whole  Upanishad  in  ni}^  memory,  but 
knowing  that  when  I  die  the  thoughts  ex- 
pressed in  the  book  will  be  lost,  I  have  begun 
to  transcribe  them,  line  by  line,  carefully,  from 
the  rotten  leaves  of  the  old  manuscript.  I  shall 
lend  the  new  cop}^  to  other  scribes,  and  the 
Katha-Upanishad  will  be  preserved  and  become 
known  in  other  lands  and  to  other  generations. 
The  old  cop3^  has  become  illegible  and  has 
partly  crumbled  into  dust,  but  the  thoughts 
will  not  die,  for  the3^  are  re-embodied  in  the 
new  cop3^  It  is  in  this  same  wa^^  that  we,  our 
aspirations,  our  ideas,  our  mind,  will  be  pre- 
served. The  character  of  the  present  genera- 
tion is  impressed  upon  the  coming  generation 
by  our  acts,  our  words,  and  our  sentiments, 
and  when  we  die  we  pass  away  but  continue 
according  to  our  deeds.  All  that  is  com- 
pounded must  be  dissolved  again ;  the  palm- 
leaves  wither,  but  the  Katha-Upanishad  still 
lives." 

"Would  it  not  be  glorious,"  exclaimed  Su- 
datta,  "  if  both  could  be  preserved — the  cop3^ 
of  the  book  and  the  thought  contained  in  it?  " 


COPYING  THE  MANUSCRIPT.  69 


i  i 


I  would  hesitate  to  echo  your  sentiment," 
rejoined  Kacchayana  :  "  Do  3^ou  remember  the 
beautiful  words  of  Anuruddha  which  found  an 
echo  in  that  same  Upanishad  ?  He  said  :  '  Choose 
not  the  dearer,  choose  the  truer,  for  the  truer 
is  the  better.'  At  that  time  I  chose  the  dearer, 
but  life  has  taught  me  a  lesson ;  I  have  now 
chosen  the  truer,  and  the  truer  has  become  the 
dearer  to  me." 

'^  Has  it,  indeed?  "  queried  Sudatta,  without 
concealing  his  surprise. 

Indeed  it  has,"  was  Kacchayana' s  reply. 

Death  is  not  only  necessary  in  life,  as  the 
inevitable  corollary  of  birth,  but  it  is  also  a 
most  salutary  arrangement.  There  is  no  more 
reason  to  speak  of  the  horrors  of  death  than  to 
speak  of  the  horrors  of  sleep.  Indeed  there  is 
a  beauty  in  death ;  and  it  is  the  beauty  of 
death  that  lends  consecration  to  life.  Think 
only  of  what  life  would  be  without  death ;  a 
monotonous  and  thoughtless  sporting  in  pleas- 
ures and  nothing  more.  It  is  death  that  makes 
time  precious.  Death  sets  us  to  thinking  and 
makes  religion  necessary.  Death  alone  forces 
us  to  give  value  to  life.  If  there  were  no  death, 


70 


NIRVANA. 


there  would  be  no  heroes,  no  sages,  no  Bud- 
dhas.  Therefore,  death  is  inevitable;  yet  it 
is  not  an  evil.  Fools  shudder  at  the  mere 
thought  of  it;  but  the  wise  fear  it  not.  For 
death  is  our  teacher,  and  also  our  benefactor." 


YOUNG  SUBHUTI. 

SUDATTA'S  boys  grew  up  and  took 
charge  of  the  land  that  they  had  in- 
herited from  their  grandfather.  Their  assist- 
ance made  it  possible  forSudatta  to  gain  more 
leisure  for  himself,  and  he  began  frequently 
to  retire  to  the  Precipice,  in  the  loneliness 
of  the  forest,  where  Kacchayana  lived,  and 
devoted  himself  to  study  and  meditation.  Al- 
though only  in  the  forties,  his  hair  had  turned 
white  and  he  might  easily  have  passed  for  an 
older  man,  who,  however,  in  his  old  age,  pre- 
served unusual  vigor  and  health.  The  people 
of  the  village  called  him  whenever  there  was 
sickness  in  the  family,  and  he  was  always 
willing  to  help  them  in  their  troubles  with 
counsel  and  personal  assistance. 

In  those  days  it  came  to  pass  that  Bim- 
bisara,  the  king,  died,  and  his  son  Ajatasattu 
ascended  the  throne. 


12 


NIRVANA. 


Ajatasattu  sent  envoys  to  all  tlie  cities  and 
villages  of  his  kingdom  and  also  to  all  the 
neigHboring  countries  that  were  sulDject  to  his 
sceptre,  to  test  the  allegiance  of  his  people. 
And  the  King's  envo}^,  surrounded  hy  a  staff 
of  counsellors  and  accompanied  by  a  military 


escort,    came    also    to    Kuduraghara.     When 
they  entered  Kuduraghara  they  were  toldj  on 


YOUNG  vSUBHUTI. 


n 


inquiring   for   the    chief  of   the   village,  that 
since  the  death  of  Maha-Subhuti  the  people 
had    been    liv- 
ing  without    a 
chief.  Then  the 
King's     envoy 


v^ 


/,        x 


'■JkX' 


had  the  people  assembled,  and  requested  them 
to  choose  a  new  magistrate  whom  the  King, 


74  NIRVANA. 

Ajatasattu,  should  install  in  the  place  of 
Alaha-Subhuti.  Seeing  that  Kaccha3'ana  had 
retired  from  the  world  to  live  a  religious  life, 
and  that  Sudatta  appeared  to  be  quite  ad- 
vanced in  3'ears,  he  presented  as  a  candidate 
Sudatta's  oldest  son  who  was  called  Subhuti 
after  his  grandfather ;  and  when  the  people 
saw  him  in  his  manliness  they  hailed  him 
and  shouted,  "Let  3^oung  Subhuti  be  our 
chief ;  let  the  King  appoint  him  successor  to 
Alaha-Subhuti. " 

Some  of  the  older  men  in  the  assembly  were 
greatly  pleased  with  the  new  chief  and  said : 
' '  If  Maha-Subhuti  were  to  reappear  bodily 
among  us  in  the  vigor  of  his  3^outh,  he  could 
not  look  different  from  this  noble  3^outh. 
Maha-Subhuti  was  exactly  like  him  when 
King  Bimbisara  installed  him  in  ofhce." 


THE  BLESSED  ONE. 

ONE  day  a  stranger  passed  through  Ku- 
duraghara,  and,  meeting  Sudatta  in  the 
street,  asked  him  the  road  to  Rajagaha.  The 
old  Brahman  pointed  out  the  way  to  the 
capital  of  the  country,  and  said:  ^'I  should 
like  to  go  to  Rajagaha  myself,  for  there  the 
Blessed  One  lives,  the  Holy  Buddha,  who  is 
the  teacher  of  gods  and  men.  He  is  the  mas- 
ter whose  doctrine  I  profess." 

^'Why  not  join  me?"  said  the  stranger. 
"I  am  Chandra,  the  gambler.  Having  heard 
of  the  wisdom  of  the  Blessed  Buddha,  I  made 
up  my  mind  to  go  to  Rajagaha  and  reap  the 
benefits  of  his  instruction." 

Sudatta  took  leave  of  his  friends  and  joined 
Chandra,  the  gambler,  on  his  way  to  Raja- 
gaha, and,  remembering  a  wish  once  uttered 
by  his  father-in-law,  he  took  with  him  the 
palm-leaf  manuscript  of  the  Katha-Upanishad. 


16 


NIRVANA. 


While  they  were  travelling"  together  on  the 
highroad,  Chandra  said:   ''Deep   is  the  wis- 


f 


dom  of  the  Perfect  One.     He  teaches  that  ex- 
istence is  suffering,  and  my  experience  con- 


I'HH  BLESSED  ONE.  77 

firms  the  doctrine.  Pessimism  is  indeed  the 
true  theory  of  life." 

''What  do  you  mean  by  Pessimism?"  in- 
terrupted Sudatta. 

''  Pessimism  means  that  the  world  is  bad," 
replied  Chandra ;  and  he  continued  :  ' '  The 
world  is  like  a  lottery  in  which  there  are  few 
prizes  and  innumerable  blanks.  We  can  see 
at  once  how  true  it  is  that  life  is  not  worth 
living  by  supposing  a  wealthy  man  buying 
all  the  chances  in  a  lottery  in  order  to  make 
sure  of  winning  all  the  prizes.  He  would 
certainly  be  a  loser.  Life  is  bankrupt  through- 
out ;  it  is  like  a  business  enterprise  which 
does  not  pay  its  expenses." 

''My  friend,"  said  the  Brahman,  "I  per- 
ceive that  you  are  a  man  of  experience.  Am 
I  right  in  assuming  that,  being  a  gambler, 
you  had  for  a  time  an  easy  life  until  you  met 
another  gambler  better  versed  in  trickery  than 
yourself,  who  cheated  you  out  of  all  your  pos- 
sessions? " 

"Indeed,  sir,"  said  the  gambler,  "that  is 
my  case  exactly ;  and  now  I  travel  to  the 
Blessed   One,  who  has  recognised  the   great 


78  NIRVANA. 

truth  that  life  is  like  a  lost  game  in  which  the 
prizes  are  only  baits  for  the  giddy.  When- 
ever I  met  a  man  unacquainted  with  gambling 
I  alwa3^s  let  him  win  in  the  beginning  to  make 
him  bold.  I,  too,  was  for  a  time  success- 
ful in  the  game  of  life,  but  now  I  know  that 
those  who  win  at  first  are  going  to  lose  more 
in  the  end  than  those  who  are  frightened  away 
by  losing  their  first  stake.  Life  uses  the  same 
tricks  we  use.  I  have  been  caught  in  the 
snare  wdiicli  I  thought  I  had  invented." 

Turning  to  the  Brahman,  bent  with  age 
and  care,  he  continued:  "The  whiteness  of 
3^our  beard  and  the  wrinkles  in  your  face  indi- 
cate that  3^ou,  too,  have  found  the  sweets  of 
life  bitter.  I  suppose  3^ou  are  not  less  pessi- 
mistic than  m3^self." 

A  beam  of  sunshine  appeared  in  the  Brah- 
man's e3^es  and  his  gait  became  erect  like  that 
of  a  king.  ''  No,  sir,"  he  replied,  "  I  have  no 
experience  like  3^ours.  I  tasted  the  sweets  of 
life  when  I  was  3'Oung,  man 3^,  man3^  3^ears 
ago.  I  have  sported  in  the  fields  with  m3^ 
pla3^mates.  I  have  loved  and  was  beloved, 
but  I  loved  with  a  pure  heart  and  there  was 


THE  BLESSED  ONE.  79 

no  bitterness  in  tlie  sweets  whicli  I  tasted. 
My  experience  came  when  I  saw  tlie  suffer- 
ings of  life.  The  world  is  full  of  sorrow  and 
the  end  of  life  is  death.  I  have  been  sad  at 
heart  ever  since,  but  when  I  think  of  the  Bud- 
dha who  has  come  into  the  world  and  teaches 
us  how  to  escape  suffering  I  rejoice ;  I  know 
now  that  the  bitterness  of  life  is  sweet  to  him 
whose  soul  has  found  rest  in  Nirvana." 

"If  life  is  full  of  bitterness,  how  can  one 
escape  suffering?"  asked  Chandra. 

And  Sudatta  replied  :  ' '  We  cannot  escape 
pain,  but  we  can  avoid  evil,  and  it  is  by  avoid- 
ing evil  we  enter  Nirvana." 

When  the  two  men  came  to  the  Vihara  at 
Rajagaha  they  approached  the  Blessed  Bud- 
dha with  clasped  hands,  saying:  "Receive 
us,  O  Lord,  among  thy  disciples;  permit  us 
to  be  hearers  of  thy  doctrines  ;  and  let  us  take 
refuge  in  the  Buddha,  the  truth,  and  the  com- 
munity of  Buddha's  followers." 
•  And  the  Holy  One,  who  reads  the  secret 
thoughts  of  men's  minds,  addressed  Chandra, 
the  gambler,  asking  him  :  "  Knowest  thou,  O 
Chandra,  the  doctrine  of  the  Blessed  One?" 


80 


NIRVANA. 


Chandra   said:    '^I  do.      The   Blessed   One 
teaches  that  life  is  misery." 

And  the  Lord  replied  :    ' '  Life  is  niiser3^  in- 
deed, but   the  Tathagata  hast  come  into  the 
world  to  point  out  the  way 
of  salvation.   His  aim  is  to 


teach  men  how  to  rescue  themselves  from  mis- 
ery.    If  thou  art  anxious  for  deliverance  from 


THE  BLESSED  ONE. 


81 


evil,  enter  the  patli  with  a  resolute  mind,  sur- 


r' 


J , 


fm\l¥ 


^a^mu 


¥?^ 


u 


y^\ 


.y^y 


render  selfishness,  practise  self-discipline,  and 
work  out  thy  salvation  with  diligence. 


n 


82  NIRVANA. 

"  I  came  to  the  Blessed  One  to  find  peace," 
said  tlie  gambler,  "not  to  undertake  work." 

Said  tlie  Blessed  One:  ''Only  b}^  ener- 
getic work  can  peace  be  found ;  deatli  can  be 
conquered  only  by  the  resignation  of  self,  and 
only  by  strenuous  effort  is  eternal  bliss  at- 
tained. Thou  regardest  the  world  as  evil 
because  he  who  deceives  will  eventuall}^  be 
ruined  b3^  his  own  devices.  The  happiness 
that  thou  seekest  is  the  pleasure  of  sin  with- 
out sin's  evil  consequences.  Men  who  have 
not  observed  proper  discipline,  and  have  not 
gained  treasure  in  their  ^^outli,  lie  sighing  for 
the  past.  There  is  evil,  indeed;  but  the  evil 
of  which  thou  complainest  is  but  the  justice 
of  the  law  of  karma.  What  a  man  has  sown 
that  vshall  he  reap." 

Then  the  Blessed  One  turned  to  the  Brah- 
man, and,  recognising  the  sterling  worth  of 
his  character,  addressed  him:  ''Veril}-,  O 
Brahman,  thou  understandest  the  doctrines  of 
the  Tathagata  better  than  th}-  fellow-traveller. 
He  who  makes  the  distress  of  others  his  own, 
quickly  understands  the  illusion  of  self.  He 
is  like  the  lotus  flower  that  growls  in  the  wa- 


THE  BLESSED  ONE.  83 

ter,  yet  does  the  water  not  wet  its  petals.  The 
pleasures  of  this  world  allure  him  not,  and  he 
will  have  no  cause  for  regret." 

Searching  with  a  friendl}^  e^^e  the  benevo- 
lent features  of  his  Brahman  visitor,  the  Bud- 
dha continued:  "Thou  art  walking  in  the 
noble  path  of  righteousness  and  thou  delight- 
est  in  the  purit}^  of  thy  work.  If  thou  wishest 
to  cure  the  diseases  of  the  heart,  as  thou  un- 
derstandest  how  to  heal  the  sores  of  the  body, 
let  people  see  the  fruits  that  grow  from  the 
seeds  of  loving  kindness.  When  they  but 
know  the  bliss  of  a  right  mind  they  will  soon 
enter  the  path  and  reach  that  state  of  steadi- 
ness and  tranquillity  in  which  they  are  above 
pleasure  and  pain,  above  the  petty  petulance 
of  fretful  desires,  above  sin  and  temptation. 
Go,  then,  back  to  thy  home  and  announce  to 
th}^  friends,  who  are  subject  to  suffering,  that 
he  whose  mind  is  free  from  the  illusions  of 
sinful  desires  will  overcome  the  miseries  of 
life.  Spread  goodness  in  words  and  deeds 
everywhere.  In  a  spirit  of  universal  kindness 
be  ready  to  serve  others  with  help  and  instruc- 
tion ;   live  happily,  then,  among  the   ailing; 


84  NIRVANA. 

among  men  who  are  greedy,  remain  free  from 
greed  ;  among  men  who  hate,  dwell  free  from 
hatred ;  and  those  who  Vv'itness  the  blessings 
of  a  hol}^  life  will  follow  thee  in  the  path  of 
salvation." 

Chandra  listened  with  raptnre  to  the  words 
of  the  Blessed  One  and  exclaimed:    ''Happy 


-i 


is  Sndatta !  Oh  !  that  I  conld  understand  the 
doctrine  and  practice  it !  " 

The  Blessed  One  said  :  ''As  the  great  ocean 
has  only  one  taste,  the  taste  of  salt,  so  the 
doctrine  of  the  Tathagata  has  only  one  taste, 
the  taste  of  salvation. 

The  eyes  of  the  gambler  were  opened,  and 


THE  BLESSED  ONE.  85 

his  pessimism  melted  away  in  the  sun  of  Bud- 
dha's doctrines.  ''  O  Lord,"  said  he,  ^'I  long 
for  that  higher  life  to  which  the  noble  path  of 
righteousness  leads." 

Said  the  Blessed  One  :  ' '  As  sea-faring  men 
are  bent  on  reaching  the  haven  of  their  des- 
tination, so  all  life  presses  forward  to  find  the 


bliss  of  enlightenment,  and  enlightenment 
alone  can  point  out  the  way  of  righteousness 
that  leads  to  Nirvana." 

The  gambler  folded  his  hands  and  said  to 
the  Buddha:  ''Wilt  thou  persuade  the  Brah- 
man, my  fellow-traveller,  to  take  me  to  his 
home,  where  I  am  willing  to  enter  his  service 


86  NIRVANA. 

that  I  may  learn  from  him  and  attain  to  the 
same  bliss?  " 

The   Blessed   One  replied :    ' '  Let  Sudatta 
the  Brahman,  do  as  he  sees  fit." 

Sudatta,  the  Brahman,  expressed  his  will- 
ingness to  receive  Chandra  as  a  helpmate  in 
his  work,  and  added:  ^'Anurudha  the  phi- 
losopher taught  me  the  path  of  the  Dharma, 
Avhich  proclaims :  '  Let  evil  deeds  be  covered 
by  good  deeds ;  he  v  ho  was  reckless  and  be- 
comes sober,  will  brighten  up  the  world  like 
the  moon  when  freed  from  clouds.'  " 

Seeing  that  the  hearts  of  all  present  were 
ready  to  receive  the  good  tidings  of  salvation, 
the  Blessed  One  instructed  them  and  roused 
and  gladdened  them  with  religious  discourse, 
and  having  explained  the  doctrine,  he  con- 
cluded his  sermon  saying:  ''And  this  is  the 
sign  that  you  have  reached  the  goal  which  is 
the  glorious  Nirvana :  No  accident  will  ever 
be  able  to  disturb  your  mind,  for,  in  spite  of 
the  world's  unrest,  your  heart  will  be  like  a 
still  and  smooth  lake.  All  attachment  to  Self 
has  died  out ;  it  has  become  like  a  withered 
branch  that  no  longer  bears  fruit.     But  your 


THE  BLESSED  ONE. 


87 


sympathy  goes  out  to  every  creature  that  suf- 
fers, and  you  are  untiring  in  good  works. 
Your  heart  beats  higher ;  it  expands  and  is 
roused  to  a  nobler  life ;  for  it  is  inspired  by 
the  thoughts  of  the  Buddha ;  your  mind  is 
clearer,  for  it  now  comprehends  the  length, 
the  breadth,  and  the  depth  of  existence,  recog- 
nising the  one  goal  that  life  must  seek, — 
Nirvana." 


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NOTES. 

1,  Page  I 

The  names  and  terms  which  occur  in  this  little  tale  are  as  a 
rule  transcriptions  from  the  Pali,  exceptions  being  made  only  in 
the  case  of  such  words  as  have  in  their  Sanskrit  forms  become 
naturalised  in  the  English  language;  for  instance,  Nirvana, 
Dharma,  Karma,  etc..  which  are  better  known  than  their  anal- 
ogous Pali  forms  :  Nibbana,  Dhamma,  Kamma. 

2,  Page  3. 

Kuduraghara  is  mentioned  by  Buddhaghosha  and  other 
authors.  In  the  Mahavagga  (V,  13)  it  is  spelt  Kuraraghara. 
Avanti  is  the  present  Malwa,  the  country  north  of  the  Vindhya 
mountains  and  southwest  of  the  middle  course  of  the  Ganges. 
See  e.  g.,  the  Map  of  Nobir  Chandra  Das  in  his  "  Note  on  the  An- 
cient Geography  of  Asia." 

>  Page  7. 
See   ChuIIa    Vagga,    V.,   6;    compare  C.    H.   Warren,    Biia- 
dhis?7i  in  T7-a}islatwus,  pp.  302   303. 

4,  Page  10. 

From  the  Sai}ikhaf(Ua  j'dtaka  (Birih  Story  316).  See  War- 
ren. B.  in  ly.,  p.  274. 

5,  Page  10, 

Bodhisatta  (Sanskrit  Bodiiisattva),  i.  e,,  he  whose  essence 
{sattva)  is  enlightenment  [bodhi),  is  the  title  of  Buddha  before  he 
attained  Buddhahood. 

6,  Page  18. 

Gautama,  the  Sanskrit  form  of  Buddha's  family  name  (to  be 
pronounced  "  Goutama  "),  is  here  preferred  to  the  Pali  Gota?no  be- 


90  NIRVANA. 

cause  we  have  become  as  much  accustomed  to  it  as  to  the  form 
Buddha.  Buddha  is  called  Gautama  by  unbelievers  only,  and 
Buddhists  deem  it  irreverent  to  call  their  master  by  his  family 
name  simply.  They  call  him  Tathagata  (which  probably  means 
the  Perfect  One),  or  Sakya  Muni,  the  Sage  of  the  Sakya  tribe,  or 
Bhagavat,  the  Blessed  One,  etc. 

7,  rage  19. 

Anuruddha  is  one  of  the  great  disciples  of  the  Buddha. 

8,  Page  28. 

The  marriage  ceremonies  of  India  are  described  by  Dr.  M 
Winternitz  in  Das  alliiidische  Ilochzeitsritiicll  7iach   dem  Afa- 
stamhiya-Grihyas^itra ,  Vienna,  1892.      Concerning  the  Brahma- 
rite  see  the  Laws  of  Manu,  III,  25. 

9,  Page  32. 

Afiattavddo  should  by  right  have  been  the  title  of  this  story. 
The  word  was  suggested  to  me  by  the  Pali  scholar  Mr.  Albert  J. 
Edmunds,  and  it  means  non-assertion  of  self,  from  a7i,  the  nega- 
tion, aitd  =  se\i,  and  zv?«'o  =  assertion.  {See  ChWders  s  Dictiojiary 
of  the  Pali  Language,  s  v.  a//(^l  =  atman,  attavddo  and  I'ddd). 
The  non-assertion  of  self  is  an  entry  into  Nirvana  in  this  life. 

While  anattavddo  is  an  abrogation  of  all  selfishness,  an  at- 
tainment of  enlightenment  and  peace  of  mind,  it  is  by  no  means 
quietism  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  implies  extraordinary  effort  in  behalf 
of  every  worthy  aim  of  life  that  might  fall  to  one's  lot  to  pursue. 
No  founder  of  any  other  religion  insisted  more  earnestly  upon 
energetic  and  resolute  exertion  than  the  Buddha. 

10,  Page  33. 

From  the  Mahamangala  Sutta,  the  Buddhist  Beatitudes,  a 
translation  of  which  is  contained  in  Rhys  Davids's  Buddhism, 
pp.  125-126.  Compare  also  Sir  Monier  Monier-Williams's  trans- 
lation. 

11,  Page  34. 

The  Vedanta  philosophy  in  speculating  on  psychological  prob- 
lems hypostasised  the  soul  under  the  name  self  or  atman,  and  Prof. 
F.  Max  Miiller  proposed  to  translate  atman  by  "  Self,"  capitalised 


NOTKS.  91 

with  a  plural  form  "  Selfs,"  to  distinguish  the  term  from  the  pro- 
nouns "myself"  and  "ourselves,"  etc.  The  peculiarity  of  the 
Vedantic  explanation  is  the  fiction  of  a  separate  Self  which  is  as- 
sumed to  be  immutable  and  eternal. 

12,  Page  34. 

Ishvara  (literally  "independent  existence")  is  an  appellative 
of  Shiva,  but  it  is  always  used  in  Buddhist  literature  in  the  sense 
of  "personal  god,"  i.  e.,  an  extra-mundane  and  anthropomorphic 
deity  endowed  with  an  individual  ego-consciousness. 

13,  Page  35. 

Sudatta's  attack  of  Buddhism  is  a  condensed  statement  of 
the  criticism  made  in  ancient  times  by  Buddha's  opponents,  and 
the  same  objections  have  been  repeated  ever  since,  down  to  the 
present  day. 

14,  Page  42. 

We  recommend  the  perusal  of  the  Katha-upanishad,  trans- 
lated by  F.  M.  Miiller  in  the  Sacred  Books  of  the  East,  XV.,  pp. 
1-24,  and  by  Deussen  in  his  Seclizig  Ufayiishads,  pp.  266-287. 
Among  other  translations  Sir  Edwin  Arnold's  and  Charles  Johns- 
ton's versions  are  more  readable  because  they  excel  in  literary 
beauty. 

The  Kathas  constitute  the  school  of  the  Black  Yajurveda  (a 
book  of  sacrificial  rituals),  and  the  Katha-upanishad  is  a  poetical 
discourse  based  upon  the  fire  ceremonial.  Cf.  Weber's ///.s/orj' 
0/  Indian  fAterature,  p.  93  et  passim.  The  Katha  school  is  still 
in  the  present  day  the  prevailing  one  in  Kashmir  (Weber,  ibid.,  p. 

317)- 

The  Upanishads  are  an  important  branch  of  the  philosoph- 
ical literature  of  ancient  India.  They  represent  the  transition 
from  Brahmanism  to  Buddhism,  and  the  Katha-Upanishad  is  per- 
haps the  most  beautiful  of  all. 

The  solution  of  the  soul-problem  offered  in  the  Upanishads  is 
that  of  the  Vedanta  philosophy  ;  it  is  the  belief  in  a  Self  or  atman 
which  is  supposed  to  be  a  separate  entity,  assumed  to  be  no  bigger 
than  the  thumb,  or  even  as  small  as  a  mustard-seed.  While  all 
things  change,  this  Self  is  supposed  to  remain  immutable.  Buddha 
denies  the  existence  of  an  atman,  whence  originated  the  accusation 
that  he  teaches  there  is  no  soul. 


92  NIRVANA. 

The  Katha-Upanishad  must  have  originated  in  some  such  way 
as  is  related  in  our  story.  The  argument  in  the  text  refers  to  an 
ancient  fire  ritual  and  at  the  same  time  shows,  as  do  some  other 
Upanishads,  Buddhist  influences.  Yet  the  philosophical  tenor  of 
the  discussion  is  still  Brahmanical,  being  pervaded  by  the  same 
spirit  that   finds  its  classical  expression  in  Shankara's  philosophy. 

15,  Page  53. 

Here  the  keynote  of  Buddhist  psychology  is  touched.  The 
Anguttara  Nikayo  (III,  134,  i.)  teaches  as  an  essential  doctrine, 
taught  by  the  Blessed  One  himself,  that  the  constituents  of  being 
(viz.,  the  elements  of  concrete  existence,  such  as  build  up  all  things 
including  our  own  personality)  possess  three  characteristics  :  they 
are  (i)  transitory,  (2)  subject  to  suffering,  and  (3)  lacking  an  atman, 
i.e.,  a  Self  or  Ego.  This  means  (i)  that  all  compounds  must  finally 
be  dissolved  again.  Things  (including  organisms  and  the  person- 
ality of  man)  originate  by  composition  and,  be  they  ever  so  stable, 
they  will  finally  decay  and  die.  (2)  The  life  of  organisms,  in  so  far 
as  it  is  sentient,  is  capable  of  enjoying  pleasure,  but  is  necessarily 
subject  to  pain.  Thus  suffering  is  not  an  accessory  but  an  inevi- 
table characteristic  of  life.  (3)  The  thing  consists  of  parts,  and 
there  is  r»o  Self  (no  ego,  no  atman)  in  addition  to  these  parts;  or  as 
modern  philosophers  would  say  now,  there  is  no  thing  in  itself. 
The  Ganges  consists  of  water  and  its  banks.  If  we  take  the  banks 
away  and  the  water,  the  Ganges  is  gone.  There  is  no  Ganges  in 
itself. 

The  truth  that  after  all  lies  in  the  conception  of  things-in- 
themselves,  may  be  briefly  expressed  in  the  statement:  "There 
are  no  things-in  themselves  but  forms-in  themselves,  viz.,  eternal 
types  such  as  are  called  by  Plato  the  ideas,"  (cf.  the  author's  article 
in  llie  Monist,  Vol.  II.,  No.  2  pp.  225-265,  "Are  There  Things- 
in-Themselves  ?  "). 

Judging  from  the  doctrine  of  the  three  characteristics  alone. 
Buddhism  seems  to  be  pessimism.  But  this  is  not  so.  Buddha 
has  pointed  out  the  way  of  salvation  which  consists  in  the  attain- 
ment of  Nirvana;  and  Nirvana  can  be  attained  in  this  life  by 
abandoning  all  attachment  to  the  transitory  and  finding  a  resting- 
place  in  the  eternal.     We  read  in  the  Udana  (VIII,  3)  : 

"There  is,  O  disciples,  something  not-born,  not-originated, 
not-made,  not-formed.      If,  O  disciples,   there  were  not  this  not- 


NOTES.  93 

born,  not-originated,  not-made,  not-formed,  there  would  be  no 
escape  for  the  born,  the  originated,  the  made,  the  formed." 

Compare  also  Dhammafada,  Chapter  XXVI.,  verse  383, 
quoted  as  a  motto  on  the  title  page. 

The  nature  of  this  "not-born,  not-originated,  not-made,  not- 
formed  "  is  sufficiently  explained  in  our  tale  by  Anuruddha. 

16,  Page  54. 

Here  Anuruddha  makes  a  play  at  words,  of  which  the  an- 
cient Indians  were  very  fond.  There  are  three  words  which  differ 
slightly  in  pronunciation,  (i)  Ka^/m  (with  lingual  tJi)  the  name  of 
the  founder  of  the  Ka///a  school  ;  (2)  Katha  (with  dental  th  and 
long  a),  a  discourse  ;  and  (3)  Katharn  (with  dental  th  and  short  a), 
the  interrogative  ' '  How  ?  " 

17,  Page  55. 

After  the  Samyutta-Nikayo.  See  Warren,  Biiddh.  in  Tr  , 
p.  228. 

18,  Page  63. 

After  an  old  Buddhist  song  which  is  still  used  in  Ceylon  and 
Siam,  quoted  by  Rhys  Davids  in  his  introduction  to  the  Maha- 
Parinibbana  Sutta  {S.  B.  of  the  E.,  Vol.  XL,  pp.  xlii-xliii)  as  fol- 
lows : 

"Ani/^r/ca  vata  sa?«khara  uppadavaya-dhammino 
Uppa^^,.5^itva  niru^^/zanti  tesa;;z  vupasamo  sukho. 

Yatha  varivaha  pura  paripurenti  sagara^w 
Evam  eva  ito  dinnam  petanam  upakappati. 

Ito  dinnena  yapenti  peta  kalakata  tahi;«. 

Unname  udakaw  va//a7?z  yatha  ninnaw  pavattati 
Evam  eva  ito  dinna;«  petana/w  upakappati." 

The  rendering  given  in  our  story  is  fitted  to  the  melody  of 
Goethe's  poem  "The  King  of  Thule."  See  the  author's  Sacred 
Tunes  for  the  Consec7'alion  of  Life,  pp.  36-37. 

19,  Page  65. 

That  Kacchayana  of  Kuduraghara  (or  Kuraraghara),  who 
lived  on  the  Precipice  was  called  Maha  Kacchayana  is  mentioned 
in  the  Mahavagga  (V.  13). 


Date  Due 

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Ni"rlana  :  a  story  of  Buddhist  psychology 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Ubi-ary 


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